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 instructors with ongoing, University-based professional development that is directly related to the content, pedagogy, and assessment of the University of Minnesota courses they teach through CIS.
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, or download it from the CIS website.
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.
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Equity, Diversity, and Access
College in the Schools is committed to reaching and preparing students underrepresented in higher education.
Our goals are:
to make it possible for all qualified students to participate and ensure that eligibility criteria are fair.
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.
to strengthen the academic supports needed for students to succeed in these rigorous courses.
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 high school class)
EPP courses 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.
EPP course descriptions are available on the CIS website for: