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Early and Middle College High School FAQs

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about the Early College High Schools and Middle College High Schools.

Frequently Asked Questions

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  1. What restrictions apply to admission of K-12 students to summer session at a community college?
  2. Is there a standard rule for how many high school units a student may earn by completing a 3 semester unit community college course? Is a college course worth either 1.5 times, 2.0 times or 3.33 times a high school credit? If a high school student is concurrently enrolled in a college course and passes that course, how many school equivalent credits would that constitute?
  3. What is the difference between dual and concurrent enrollment?
  4. What is the earliest grade and age for a student to begin dual or concurrent enrollment in a community college, college or university?
  5. Is a community college instructor, teaching a course at the partnering high school campus, required to be a certificated employee of the school district or charter school in order for it to claim attendance for the purpose of apportionment?
  6. If a college instructor is teaching a college course on a high school campus as part of a College and Career Access Pathway (CCAP) partnership agreement and the college is claiming FTES, does the instructor need to be a certificated employee of the school district or charter school?
  7. Is there a situation where a community college course can be offered during a high school day where both the high school counts the course toward annual and daily minutes and the community college receives apportionment?
  8. What is the maximum course enrollment per term for students enrolled in Early College High School and Middle College High School programs?
  9. Is a concurrently enrolled school district student required to be scheduled for a minimum instructional day in order to generate attendance for the purpose of apportionment funding?
  10. Are there any classroom based scheduling requirements for a student concurrently enrolled at a charter school and a University of California (UC), California State University (CSU), or Community College?
  11. Our District wants to open an Early College High School (ECHS) but currently there is no partnership with a community college or any higher educational institution; can we still open an ECHS with no partnership?
  12. If a college course is offered on a school district's high school campus during the normal school day, namely during a class period, and the college course is not being counted towards instructional minutes; would that comply with the Education Code?
  13. What is the difference between a Middle College High School (MCHS) and an Early College High School (ECHS)?
  14. Can an Early College High School (ECHS) or a Middle College High School (MCHS) within a district use the average of two instructional days to meet the 180 minutes of daily instruction?
  15. Do passing period minutes count toward the 180-minutes total?
  16. My high school student is enrolled in a dual enrollment program. Is the college required to pay for the college text books and supplies?
  17. Are students who are enrolled in dual enrollment programs required to pay for their own college fees?
  18. How can my high school student take college courses while enrolled in high school without participating in an Early College High School (ECHS) or Middle College High School (MCHS)?
  19. Can a school be both a traditional/comprehensive high school and an Early College High School (ECHS) concurrently?
  20. How should school districts or charter schools address calendar differences between community colleges and school districts or charter schools?
  21. Do Early College High School (ECHS) or Middle College High School (MCHS) have annual instructional day and minute requirements?
  22. How should districts capture college credit-bearing courses(e.g., dual enrollment or concurrent enrollment) in their local student information systems so that the courses are reported to California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS)?
Questions:   Carolyn Hamilton | chamilton@cde.ca.gov | 916-323-5765
Last Reviewed: Tuesday, September 24, 2024
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