3.5.1 Post-Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) Program

Responsible Position

Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs

RELATED ITEMS

Minnesota State Board Policy

Minnesota State System Procedure

Minnesota Statute 124D.09

PROCEDURES

Admissions Requirements and Course Placement for PSEO and Concurrent Enrollment Students

Eligibility Standards for 11th and 12th grade students

PSEO participation is available to 11th and 12th grade students who are enrolled in a Minnesota public or nonpublic secondary school and present evidence of the ability to perform college-level work.  ATCC requires PSEO students to provide a high school transcript and documentation of meeting minimum placement scores with either ACT, SAT, 10th Grade Reading MCA score, or an ACCUPLACER reading score.

Eligibility standards and access for 9th and 10th grade students

These students must have a recommendation from a designated high school official to enroll in ATCC courses.

Eligible 9th and 10th grade students may only enroll in a course offered through concurrent enrollment or through PSEO by contract under the following conditions defined by Minn. Stat. 124D.09, Subd. 5b:

  1. The school district and the eligible postsecondary institution providing the course must 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 Minn. Stat. 120B.022 governing world language standards, certificates, and seals. Indigenous languages and American Sign Language (ASL) are eligible under this provision.
Exception for 10th grade students and Career and Technical Education PSEO courses

Notwithstanding the eligibility standards established above, Minn. Stat. 124D.09, Subd.4(b) requires a student who is in 10th grade, has attained a passing score on the 8th grade Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA) in reading and meets any of the other course prerequisites of course enrollment standards established by ATCC, including but not limited to assessment test scores, program admission, or other requirements, may enroll in a career or technical education course at ATCC.

If the student receives a grade of C or better in the course, the student must be allowed to take additional courses in subsequent terms including, but not limited to, career and technical education courses.

A current 10th grade student who did not take the 8th grade MCA in reading may substitute another reading assessment accepted by ATCC.

Students admitted under this provision may be required to attend academic advising sessions at the discretion of ATCC.

Eligibility Review Process

ATCC shall have a process for reviewing evidence of student eligibility to participate in the PSEO program. The admission process addresses each criterion and may include faculty, as appropriate.

Course Placement

Students choosing to enroll in PSEO or concurrent enrollment courses shall meet the requirements of ATCC policy 3.3 and ATCC procedure 3.3.1 Assessment for Course Placement, before enrolling in courses that require have a prerequisite in reading, writing, or mathematics skills.

Courses Offered through PSEO and Concurrent Enrollment

Concurrent enrollment course offerings

Concurrent enrollment courses must be college-level courses approved through the ATCC curriculum process, meet standards required for applicable accreditations, and follow the ATCC approved course outline.

Access to online courses

Pursuant to Minn. Stat. 124D.09, subd. 9 (e), students may enroll in online courses through PSEO or concurrent enrollment consistent with ATCC’s policy regarding general student enrollment in online courses.

Developmental education courses

ATCC must not enroll students in remedial, developmental, or other courses that are not college level except when a student is eligible for the graduation incentives program under Minn. Stat. 124D.68, and enrolled full time in a middle or early college program that is approved by the Minnesota Department of Education.

PSEO Student Support and Performance

Student Support

ATCC shall ensure that PSEO students are provided with information that:

  1. describes available academic and student support services, and
  2. outlines student responsibilities, including communicating their academic performance in PSEO courses with their high school.
Access to learning resources

ATCC shall ensure that all PSEO students, including those not on a campus site, have the same level of access to learning resources (libraries, laboratories, databases, etc.) and learning management systems as ATCC students and faculty in the same higher education courses or programs.

Student performance and program effectiveness

ATCC shall collect data about the performance of each student enrolled in PSEO or concurrent enrollment courses for use in monitoring student progress and measuring PSEO program effectiveness. Students enrolled in PSEO or concurrent enrollment courses shall meet the ATCC policy for Academic Standing as defined in Board Policy 2.9 and System Procedure 2.9.1.

Concurrent Enrollment Agreements

Concurrent enrollment agreement requirements

ATCC and the school district or governing board shall complete an agreement to offer one or more concurrent enrollment courses, signed by the appropriate representative of each party, which must address at a minimum:

  1. each party’s role in adhering to National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnership (NACEP) standards and requirements relevant to the agreement;
  2. qualifications and responsibilities of high school instructors as defined in this procedure, including documentation of high school teacher qualifications;
  3. college support provided to the instructor as defined below in this procedure;
  4. other resources, such as laboratory space and course materials, needed to support quality concurrent enrollment teaching and learning;
  5. compliance with student participation requirements as specified above in this procedure;
  6. financial arrangements for offering the course(s);
  7. duration of the agreement and frequency of its review, which must be at least annually; and
  8. a high school teacher’s compliance with all expectations for communicating with the ATCC faculty member and participation in required orientation and professional development activities.

The agreement between a school district or governing board and ATCC and the financial arrangements for delivering concurrent enrollment courses must conform to the Minnesota State common pricing structure and practices for concurrent enrollment agreements that exist at the time the agreement is signed.

Concurrent enrollment exception

A high school may allow non-concurrent enrollment students to take concurrent enrollment courses for high school credit only. The concurrent enrollment instructor and ATCC faculty member shall ensure that all concurrent enrollment students are held to ATCC course standards.

Concurrent Enrollment Program Requirements

NACEP accreditation

All concurrent enrollment programs must adopt and implement the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnership’s program standards and required evidence for accreditation. Minn. Stat. § 124D.091, Subd. 1.

Advisory boards

ATCC must establish an advisory board. The purpose of the advisory board is to engage stakeholders in concurrent enrollment decisions. The advisory board’s duties, structure, and additional board requirements are described in Minn. Stat. § 124D. 09 subd. 10b.

Concurrent Enrollment Instructors

Concurrent enrollment instructor support

For each high school teacher approved to provide instruction as a concurrent enrollment instructor, ATCC shall:

  1. adhere to all NACEP standards;
  2. provide an ATCC faculty member with who shall communicate regularly with the concurrent enrollment instructor and monitor assignments, exams, projects, student academic achievement, and instructional effectiveness to ensure that the course meets the learning outcomes contained in the course outline approved by ATCC and that students are held to college-level standards;
  3. provide each concurrent enrollment instructor with a required orientation to the concurrent enrollment program and on-going opportunities to participate in appropriate campus-based and/or program-specific faculty developmental activities; and
  4. provide the same level of access to learning resources (libraries, laboratories, databases, etc.) and learning management systems as ATCC students and faculty in the same higher education courses or program.
Concurrent enrollment instructor qualifications

The minimum qualifications for concurrent enrollment instructors must be determined by ATCC, consistent with Higher Learning Commission expectations for minimum faculty qualifications and Board Policy 3.32 Faculty Qualifications and System Procedure 3.32.1 College Faculty Qualifications.

ATCC evaluation responsibilities for concurrent enrollment instructor qualifications

The ATCC concurrent enrollment program must document the evaluation and approval of concurrent enrollment instructors within the specified technology identified by Minnesota State.

PSEO Tuition and Fees

There is no cost to the student for college-level course tuition and most fees.  However, fees for on-campus parking and the cost of items that become the student’s personal property will apply.  Any remedial/developmental courses are self-pay courses.

PSEO Books

There is no cost to the student for required textbooks for college-level courses. College-provided textbooks must be returned to the college immediately following the end of each semester. If books are not returned, the student will be billed for the cost of the books.

 

Please visit www.alextech.edu/pseo for more information and to apply for PSEO at ATCC.

Related ATCC Documents:

 

Approved by: Leadership Council

Effective Date: 3/24/2021

Next Review Date: March 2024

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