Dual Credit Courses - - Community High School District 155

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Dual Credit Courses

Dual Credit Courses

Dual credit courses provide students the opportunity to earn both high school and college credit while taking the course. Courses are aligned with college curriculum but are taught by D155 instructors in our high schools. Credits earned are typically transferrable to any college, not just the awarding university. Currently, we have dual credit partnerships with both McHenry County College and the University of Illinois. Students are responsible for any tuition or fees associated with the dual credit course by the college or university. As all dual credit courses are aligned to college curriculum, they will earn AP®/Dual Credit level weighting.

The grading scale at MCC is different than CHSD 155. MCC does not award letter grades with pluses or minuses which is different than the grading system in CHSD 155. For instance, a B+ earned in CHSD 155 is a B at MCC. As a result, it is possible that the grades reported on the MCC and CHSD 155 report cards and transcripts vary. For more information on dual credit courses and our partnership with McHenry County College, please click here or see below for our frequently asked questions.

Your web browser does not support the <video> tag. DUAL CREDIT FAQ

• What is a dual credit course?
• Who awards the college credit? Do they get a college transcript?
• Does my student have to travel to MCC to take a dual credit class?
• How much does a dual credit course cost?
• How many dual credit courses does D155 offer?
• What are some benefits of taking dual credit courses?
• Will the credits transfer to other colleges?
• What is the difference between AP® and dual credit?
• What is the GPA weighting of a dual credit course?
• Will the high school grade and college grade be the same?
• What if a student doesn't do well in a dual credit course? Can they drop the class?

Dual credit courses are courses that are taught in our high schools with high school teachers. The curriculum in these courses is aligned to a corresponding college class and thus is eligible for “dual” credit (both high school and college credit). Instructors of these courses have completed additional graduate-level coursework in the subject area they are teaching to be eligible to teach the course.

All dual credit courses are aligned to a course with a partner college. Currently, all but one of our dual credit courses are taught through our partnership with McHenry County College (the one outlier is our DC Calculus III class which is taught through the University of Illinois). After successful completion of the course, students can order a transcript from the college.

No, all dual credit courses are currently taught in our high schools with high school teachers. As our program grows, it is possible students may have opportunities to take classes on MCC’s campus.

Beginning in the fall of 2023, MCC will charge a per-course fee of $25. A small fee is required when ordering a transcript from MCC. If a student takes a class on MCC’s campus, they would be charged MCC’s standard tuition rate. There is a fee for the DC Calculus III course through the University of Illinois (~$400).

Currently, we offer more than 25 dual credit courses in a variety of different curricular areas. A full list of dual credit courses can be found in our course selection guide which can be found on our website.

• Save money! - These courses would cost about $500 per semester ($1,000 for the year) at MCC and $1400 per semester ($2800 for the year) at NIU.

• Save time! - Completion of these courses in high school can help students meet collegiate general education requirements. This can free up students to take other high-interest courses in college and/or increase the possibility to graduate early if desired.

• Less stress! - Since college credit is earned for successfully completing the course and demonstrating proficiency over time rather than on a single high stakes exam (such as with AP courses), some students have shared that this is a less stressful way to earn college credit.

Most of the dual credit classes we offer are articulated within the state of Illinois meaning they will transfer to other colleges/universities within Illinois. While we have also seen a high level of success with these courses transferring to out-of-state schools, there have been some instances where institutions did not take the transfer credit. It is best if the student checks with the college/university they are interested in receiving their degree from to make sure the course will transfer.

Advanced Placement® (AP®) credit is earned when a student pays for and completes a test at the end of the course. If a student receives a 3, 4, or 5, they have the ability to earn college credit for demonstrating knowledge in a particular area. Dual Credit is an opportunity for students to take a class that has a matching syllabus with a college. The student’s grade in this class is reported to the college and is transcripted with both the high school and college. With both AP® and Dual Credit, colleges and universities have the ability to deny credit for a course at their own discretion. It is best if the student checks with the college/university they are interested in receiving their degree from to make sure the course will transfer.

Dual credit classes are awarded the highest grade weights for GPA equal to an AP® class.

Yes, with the important distinction that MCC does not use +/- letter grades. So, the percentage that is reported to MCC will be the same percentage that determines their high school grade. This means that the letter grade may differ between the high school and college transcript (i.e. an 89% would be a B+ on their high school transcript but would be reported as a B by MCC).

What if a student doesn’t do well in a dual credit course? Can they drop the class?

It is important to understand that grades from dual credit courses will appear on MCC transcripts and thus be part of their collegiate GPA. Taking a dual credit class is a commitment and means that students are technically MCC students as well. Thus, they have to adhere to MCC’s policies regarding dropping classes as well as academic probation.

If a student wants to drop a class:

• If it’s within the first 10 days of the class, the drop can be processed without penalty and the course will not show up on the student’s transcript.

• If they want to drop the class after ten days, they can, but the course will show up on their transcript with a “W”. This does not impact their GPA, but it does count as a course taken and thus could impact their financial aid status later. Since they would have a course taken but not have earned a grade, their GPA would be interpreted to be zero and they may be listed as on academic probation. They would then have one semester to earn a 2.5 GPA otherwise their financial aid status may be suspended.

• If they want to drop the class during the last few weeks of the class, it would go on their transcript as a W/F. This is essentially the same as earning an F in the course which then assigns a zero to their GPA for that course which would impact their GPA moving forward.

MCC DUAL CREDIT COURSE LIST

D155 Course Title	MCC Course Title	MCC Credits
DC Spanish III	Elementary Spanish (SPA 151/SPA 152)	8
DC Spanish IV	Intermediate Spanish (SPA 251/SPA 252)	8
DC Adv Spanish Conversation & Composition	Adv Conv & Composition I &II (SPA 271/SPA272)	6
DC French III	Elementary French (FRE 151/FRE 152)	8
DC French IV	Elementary French (FRE 151/FRE 152)	8
DC German III	Elementary German (GER 151/GER 152)	8
DC German IV	Intermediate German (GER 151/GER 152)	8
DC Speech	Intro to Speech (SPE 151)	3
DC Advanced Mobile Apps	Programming for iOS I & II (MAD 107/MAD 157)	6
DC U.S. History	U.S. History I & II (HIS 170/HIS 172)	6
DC Art Appreciation	Art Appreciation (ART 151)	3
DC Art History I	Art History I (ART 171)	3
DC Art History II	Art History II (ART 172)	3
DC Composition I	Composition I (ENG 151)	3
DC Composition II	Composition II (ENG 152)	3
DC Statistics	General Education Statistics (MAT 120)	3
DC Applied Calculus	Calculus for Bus/Soc Science (MAT 171)	4
DC Psychology	Intro to Psychology (PSY 151)	3
DC Auto II	Principles of Automotive Technology (AMT 100)	4
DC Culinary Arts II Commercial	Sanitation and Safety (CLM 105)	2
DC Advanced Culinary Commercial	Intro to Professional Hospitality (CLM 100)	3
DC Marketing	Principles of Marketing (MKT 110)	3
DC Music Appreciation	Music Appreciation (MUS 151)	3
DC Computer Business Applications I	Computer Literacy for Windows (CDM 110)	3
DC Metals II	Introduction to Manual Machining (IMT 100)	3
DC Metals III	Intro to Manual Machining (IMT 105)	3
DC Business Incubator	Intro to Entrepreneurship (BUS 160)	3
DC Virtual Enterprises International	Intro to Entrepreneurship (BUS 160)	3
DC Intro to Education	Introduction to Education (EDU 251)	3
DC Physical Fitness	Physical Fitness (KHS 120)	1
DC Nursing Assistant	Basic Nursing Assistant (NAE 100)	7
DC Music Theory	Music Theory 1 (MUS 120), Musicianship 1 (MUS 141), Music Theory 2 (MUS 145), and Musicianship 2 (MUS 146)	10

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS DUAL CREDIT COURSE LIST

D155 Course Title	University of Illinois Title	U of I Credit
DC Calculus III	Calculus III (MATH 241)	4

Contact Us

Lori Ratliff Director of Teaching & Learning, Curriculum & Pathways Phone: (815) 455-8500 ext. 1043 Email: [email protected]

Melissa Martin Administrative Assistant Phone: (815) 455-8500 ext. 1031 Email: [email protected]

• Staff Development - schedules, approvals and budgets
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• Course Approvals & Records
• Student Teacher Placement
• New Faculty Induction Communication
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