CIS: The Big Picture

Mission

College in the Schools at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities is a concurrent enrollment program serving high school students, teachers, and schools by increasing access to college learning, supporting excellence in teaching, and strengthening high school-University connections. 

CIS delivers University courses in collaboration with area high schools to qualified high school students. Administered by the College of Continuing and Professional Studies (CCAPS), the program offers regular introductory University courses at partner high schools; all courses are approved for University credit. Students earn both high school and University of Minnesota credit for courses taken through CIS. 

University courses offered through CIS are taught by qualified high school teachers who have been selected by U of M faculty. CIS instructors are appointed as U of M teaching specialists and are prepared and continuously supported through professional development provided by University faculty from the sponsoring academic departments. 

College in the Schools

• • gives students firsthand experience with the high academic standards and increased workload typical of college education as well as the personal responsibility required to be successful in college study.

  • provides CIS instructors with ongoing, University-based professional development that is directly related to the field and content, pedagogy, and assessment of the University of Minnesota course they teach.

  • strengthens curricular, instructional, and professional ties between high schools and the U of M. 

Minnesota Law and CIS

124D.09. The Minnesota Post-secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) Act allows qualified high school juniors and seniors to enroll in University courses for dual college and high school credit, either on the University campus (as space allows) or through College in the Schools. 

The 2014 legislature amended 124D.09 to allow 9th and 10th graders to participate in courses offered through programs such as College in the Schools if (1) the school district and the concurrent enrollment program agree to the student's enrollment or (2) the course is a world language course currently available to 11th and 12th grade students, and consistent with section 120B.022 of the statute which governs world language standards, certificates, and seals. This legislation does not change the post-secondary institutions’ ability to determine eligibility requirements. 

Refer to the Quick Guide to Course Requirements and Related Policies.

While current law prohibits public schools from charging students for the cost of U of M courses offered through CIS, it does not prohibit schools from asking for voluntary donations. 

124D.091. This statute provides reimbursement to high schools of up to $150 per student registration for costs incurred when offering concurrent enrollment courses. 

Ensuring Quality: NACEP Accreditation

College in the Schools is accredited by the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP). To earn accreditation, CIS had to demonstrate that it meets NACEP standards related to instructors, curriculum, student services, student assessment, and program evaluation. Having met these standards, CIS can guarantee that it has the policies and practices in place that ensure that U of M courses administered by CIS are of the same quality as courses taught on the U of M campus. Programs need to apply for re-accreditation every seven years. 

Related Links:

• Accreditation Standards (NACEP Website)

Equity, Diversity, and Access

College in the Schools is committed to reaching and preparing students underrepresented in higher education. 

Our goals are:

1. to make it possible for all qualified students to participate and ensure that eligibility criteria are fair.

   1. • Faculty coordinators have worked with instructors to identify and articulate student eligibility criteria that, in most cases, include alternatives to a high GPA or class rank. Traditional academic indicators may keep students out who could do well in a particular course. 

2. to strengthen the academic supports needed for students to succeed in these rigorous courses. 

   1. • Entry Point Project (EPP) was developed to target promising students who are

        • multilingual/ELL

        • members of racial or ethnic minorities

        • first-generation college-bound students

        • from families of low to moderate income, and/or

        • in the academic middle (between the top 50% and the top 20% of their class) 

      • U of M courses included in EPP employ Universal Instructional Design, a supportive pedagogy that

        • integrates development of skills (e.g., critical thinking, problem-solving, written and oral communication) with the acquisition of content knowledge, 

        • communicates clear expectations and provides constructive feedback, 

        • promotes interaction among and between teachers and students, 

        • incorporates teaching methods that consider diverse learning styles, abilities, ways of knowing, previous experience, and background knowledge, and 

        • articulates a commitment to diversity and integrates multicultural perspectives into all aspects of the learning process. 

U of M course descriptions are available on the CIS website for:

• • • An Interdisciplinary Look at the Family in Multicultural America

    • College Algebra Through Modeling

    • Exploring the Teaching Profession I

    • Exploring the Teaching Profession II

    • Physics by Inquiry

    • Writing Studio

State Funding

Minnesota statute 124D.091 authorizes the state to reimburse high schools for costs incurred when they offer concurrent enrollment courses to their students. Passed in 2007, this statute requires high schools to partner with concurrent enrollment programs accredited by the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP) in order to be eligible for state reimbursement funds. High schools may also be eligible for reimbursement if they partner with a non-accredited program that can demonstrate it meets NACEP standards. College in the Schools has been accredited since 2005. 

To maintain eligibility for state funding for concurrent enrollment, high schools must partner with concurrent enrollment programs that are NACEP-accredited, in the process of becoming accredited, or demonstrate that they’ve met standards comparable to NACEP standards. Please contact Jeanne Krile (jeanne.krile@state.mn.us; 651-582-8637), School Finance, Minnesota Department of Education, for more information.

Costs

Fees

Schools pay the fees and costs associated with offering U of M courses through CIS. The CIS fee has remained at $145 per student course registration since 2009.

Additional Expenses

Additional expenses include:

(1) Release Days, Student Field Days

• • • substitute teachers for release days when CIS instructors attend professional development and student field days, and/or 

    • transportation for CIS students to field days.

(2) Textbooks and Course Materials

Schools are responsible for ensuring that students have access to required textbooks, course materials, lab equipment and supplies. Information about required books and materials are found on individual course description pages on the CIS website.

CIS requires high schools to use the same textbook(s) as are used in the course taught on the U of M campus; a few courses allow the use of different textbooks, but in these cases the textbooks must be approved in advance by the U of M faculty coordinator for the course. Textbooks are replaced infrequently or periodically.