TITLE
6 PRIMARY AND SECONDARY
EDUCATION
CHAPTER
30 EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS - GENERAL
REQUIREMENTS
PART
7 DUAL CREDIT
6.30.7.1 ISSUING AGENCY: New
Mexico Public Education Department
[6.30.7.1 NMAC - Rp, 6.30.7.1 NMAC, 06/30/08]
6.30.7.2 SCOPE: This
rule applies to local education agencies (LEAs) (public school districts
including high schools, charter schools and state-supported schools), and
bureau of Indian education-funded high schools), high school students who
attend secondary schools, and public postsecondary institutions in New Mexico. Districts
and public postsecondary institutions are required to implement rules no later
than the beginning of the 2008-2009 school year.
[6.30.7.2 NMAC - Rp, 6.30.7.2 NMAC, 06/30/08; A, 08/16/10]
6.30.7.3 STATUTORY AUTHORITY:
Section
9-24-8, 21-1-1.2, 22-2-1, 22-2-2 NMSA 1978.
[6.30.7.3 NMAC - Rp, 6.30.7.3 NMAC, 06/30/08; A, 08/16/10]
6.30.7.4 DURATION: Permanent
[6.30.7.4 NMAC - Rp, 6.30.7.4 NMAC, 06/30/08]
6.30.7.5 EFFECTIVE DATE: June 30, 2008, unless a later date is cited at
the end of a section.
[6.30.7.5 NMAC - Rp, 6.30.7.5 NMAC, 6/30/08]
6.30.7.6 OBJECTIVE:
The purposes of dual credit are:
A. to provide high school students the opportunity to enroll in college-level academic or career-technical courses offered by a post-secondary educational institution, and
B. to permit those enrolled students to simultaneously earn credit toward high school graduation and a post-secondary degree or certificate.
[6.30.7.6 NMAC - Rp, 6.30.7.6 NMAC, 6/30/08; A, 08/16/10]
6.30.7.7 DEFINITIONS:
A. “ACT high school code” is the unique code provided to each high school by ACT, Inc., a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.
B. “Agreement” is the dual credit master agreement.
C. “Classification of instructional program” or “CIP” is a
taxonomic coding scheme that contains titles and descriptions of instructional
programs, primarily at the postsecondary level. The CIP was originally
developed to facilitate the United States department of education national
center for education statistics’ collection and reporting of postsecondary
degree completions, by major field of study, using standard classifications
that capture the majority of program activity.
D. “Common core” means the common general education core of lower division college-level courses for
which, pursuant to Subsection D of Section 21-1B-3 NMSA 1978 and 5.55.3.9 NMAC
credit is eligible for transfer from one public postsecondary institution to
another and is applied toward requirements for postsecondary graduation and
receipt of a degree.
E. “Concurrent enrollment” refers to enrollment of high
school students in courses at the postsecondary level that are not designated
as dual credit. This includes courses not listed within the dual credit master
agreement between the eligible LEAs and postsecondary institution. Students who
are concurrently enrolled may also be enrolled in the dual credit program if
they meet eligibility requirements as specified in 6.30.7 NMAC.
F. “Core course” means courses required for high school
graduation as defined in 22-13-1.1 NMSA, 1978, excluding physical education
activity courses and electives.
G. “Developmental course” refers to courses with CIP codes
of 32.0101, 32.0107 or 32.0199 that fall within the basic skills or career exploration/awareness
skills categories.
H. “Dual credit council” is an advisory group consisting of
staff of the public education department and higher education department that
issues recommendations to the cabinet secretaries of the public education and
higher education departments regarding dual credit issues outside of the scope
of the agreement.
I. “Dual credit program” means a program that allows high
school students to enroll in college-level courses offered by a postsecondary
institution that may be academic or career technical but not remedial or
developmental, and simultaneously to earn credit toward high school graduation
and a postsecondary degree or certificate.
J. “Elective course” means courses defined and approved as
such by local school boards.
K. “FERPA” is the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
[20 U.S. Code 1232g].
L. “Form” is the dual credit
request form.
M. “General fees” as defined in 5.7.18 NMAC and Subsection B
of Section 21-1-4-NMSA 1978 means a fixed sum charged to students for items not
covered by tuition and required of such a proportion of all students that the
student who does not pay the charge is an exception. General fees include fees
for matriculation, library services, student activities, student union
services, student health services, debt service and athletics. An institution
may charge fees in addition to general fees that are course-specific or that
pertain to a smaller proportion of students.
N. “Individualized education program” or “IEP” means a
written statement for a child with a disability that is developed, reviewed,
and revised in accordance with 34 CFR Secs. 300.320 through 300.324.
O. “Local educational agency (LEA)” is a district as defined
in 6.29.1.7 NMAC (a
public school district, a state-chartered charter school or a state educational
institution),or a
bureau of Indian education-funded high school.
P. “Physical education activity course” refers to courses
with CIP code of 36.0108.
Q. “Postsecondary institution” refers to a public
postsecondary educational institution operating in the state, including a
community college, branch community college, technical vocational institute,
four-year educational institution, and tribal colleges.
R. “Remedial course” refers to courses with CIP codes of 32.0104 or
32.0108 that fall within the numeracy and computational skills, precollegiate
mathematics skills, precollegiate reading skills, precollegiate writing skills,
or communications skills categories.
S. "Tribal college" means a
tribally, federally or congressionally chartered post-secondary educational
institution located in New Mexico that is accredited by the north central
association of colleges and schools.
[6.30.7.7 NMAC - Rp, 6.30.7.7 NMAC, 06/30/08; A, 08/16/10]
6.30.7.8 UNIFORM MASTER AGREEMENT.
A. The agreement specifies the means by which the state will
provide equal opportunities to all public high school students who wish to
participate in the dual credit program.
B. LEAs and postsecondary institutions providing dual credit
programs shall complete the agreement and the LEA shall submit the completed
agreement to the public education department.
C. A completed agreement shall contain signatures from all
parties and includes an appendix developed collaboratively by the LEA and
postsecondary institution that specifies eligible dual credit courses.
D. LEAs may complete agreements with multiple postsecondary
institutions.
E. A fully executed copy of each agreement shall be
submitted by the LEA to the public education department within 10 days of
approval.
F. The agreement:
(1) specifies eligible courses, academic
quality of dual credit courses, student eligibility, course approval, course
requirements, required content of the form, state reporting, liabilities of
parties, and student appeals; and
(2) states the roles, responsibilities, and
liabilities of the LEA, the postsecondary institution, student, and the
student’s family.
G. Duties and responsibilities of the postsecondary
institution. The postsecondary institution shall:
(1) designate a representative to review and
sign the completed form with the understanding that only forms endorsed by all
parties shall constitute a dual credit approval request;
(2)
determine, in collaboration with the LEA, the required academic standing
of each student eligible to participate in the dual credit program;
(3) collaborate with the LEA to reach
agreement on admission and registration of eligible dual credit students for
the stated semester;
(4) employ a method of qualifying the student
for dual credit that demonstrates that the student has the appropriate skills
and maturity to benefit from the instruction requested;
(5) provide advisement to review the
appropriateness of each student’s enrollment in a course prior to registration
in terms of academic readiness, age requirements, and programmatic issues;
(6) provide the form to eligible students and appropriate
LEA staff online and in hard copy;
(7) approve the form for each student on a
course-by-course basis each semester based on each student’s prior coursework,
career pathway, or academic readiness;
(8) provide a copy of each approved form to
the appropriate LEA representative;
(9) provide course placement evaluation and
consider a high school college readiness assessment to verify a student’s academic
skill level and to ensure compliance with course prerequisites;
(10) provide information and orientation, in
collaboration with the LEA to the student and parent or guardian regarding the
responsibilities of dual credit enrollment including academic rigor, time
commitments, and behavioral expectations associated with taking college courses
and the importance of satisfactorily completing the postsecondary institution
credits attempted in order for dual credit to be awarded;
(11) inform students of course requirement
information which includes course content, grading policy, attendance
requirements, course completion requirements, performance standards, and other
related course information;
(12)
advise the parent or guardian of FERPA rules;
(13) waive all general fees for dual credit
courses;
(14) waive tuition for high school students
taking dual credit courses;
(15) make every effort to adopt textbooks for
at least three years;
(16) provide the LEA within the first thirty
days of the academic term, access to each student’s official schedule of
classes as verification of registration; the LEA shall notify the postsecondary
institution if the report is in conflict with the school endorsed registration;
(17) track progress of dual credit enrolled
students on the issue of academic performance and provide reports, as needed,
to the LEA;
(18) retain the official transcript or grade
report of the dual credit student that records the term of enrollment,
courses/credits attempted, courses/credits completed, grades and grade point
average earned;
(19) release, at the request of the student,
official postsecondary institution transcripts in accordance with the
postsecondary institution’s transcript request practices;
(20) provide final grades to the LEA for each
dual credit student;
(21) deliver final grades for all dual credit
students to the LEA with sufficient time to be included with final grades; this
schedule shall be defined by the parties in the agreement and shall address the
time frame appropriate for determining student graduation from high school;
(22) comply with data collection and reporting
provisions in 6.30.7.12 NMAC;
(23) approve faculty for all dual credit
courses;
(24) retain educational records in accordance
with New Mexico statutes and record retention regulations as per 1.20.3 NMAC;
(25) have a student appeals process pertaining
to student enrollment in dual credit programs (postsecondary
institution decisions are final); and
(26) have the right to appeal to the dual
credit council on issues related to implementing the dual credit program,
agreement, and rules.
H. Duties and responsibilities of the LEA. The LEA shall:
(1) designate a representative to collaborate
with the postsecondary institution to reach agreement on admission and
registration of eligible dual credit students for the stated semester;
(2) determine, in collaboration with the
postsecondary institution, the required academic standing of each student
eligible to participate in the dual credit program;
(3) collaborate with the postsecondary
institution to reach agreement on admission and registration of eligible dual
credit students for the stated semester;
(4) employ a method of qualifying the student
for dual credit based on factors which may include academic performance review,
use of next step plan, assessments, advisement and career guidance, and
therefore recommend enrollment at the postsecondary institution with evidence
that the student has the appropriate skills and maturity to benefit from the
instruction requested;
(5)
provide information and orientation to students about opportunities to
participate in dual credit programs during student advisement, academic
support, and formulation of annual next step plans;
(6) provide the form to eligible students and
appropriate LEA staff online and in hard copy;
(7) approve the form for each student on a
course-by-course basis each semester based on each student’s prior coursework,
career pathway, or academic readiness;
(8) provide information and orientation, in
collaboration with the postsecondary institution, to the student and student’s
family regarding the responsibilities of dual credit enrollment including
academic rigor, time commitments, and behavioral expectations associated with
taking college courses and the importance of satisfactorily completing the
college credits attempted in order for dual credit to be awarded;
(9) inform students of course requirement
information which includes course content, grading policy, attendance
requirements, course completion requirements, performance standards, and other
related course information;
(10) notify the postsecondary institution if
the student’s official schedule of classes is in conflict with the school
endorsed registration;
(11) provide appropriate accommodations and
services for special education students while the students are enrolled in dual
credit classes, including academic adjustments and auxiliary aids and services
for eligible students across educational activities and settings (e.g.
equipping school computers with screen-reading, voice recognition or other
adaptive hardware or software and providing note-takers, recording devices, or
sign language interpreters, or other adaptation as required by law);
(12) inform students in need of accommodations
or other arrangements of the need to speak directly with the disabilities
coordinator at the postsecondary institution;
(13) work collaboratively with the
postsecondary institution to submit a student’s request for change in
registration according to postsecondary institution policies and within
officially published deadlines;
(14) make it clear to students that if they
fail or withdraw from dual credit classes that they were intending to use to
substitute for a high school requirement that they will have to make up those
credits in order to graduate; the dual credit course grade will appear on the
student high school transcript;
(15) pay the cost of the required textbooks and
other course supplies for the postsecondary course the dual credit student is
enrolled in through purchase arrangements with the bookstore at the
postsecondary institution or other cost-efficient methods;
(16) collaborate with the postsecondary
institution to offer dual credit courses at the high school site according to
LEA site time blocks;
(17) furnish an official high school transcript
to the postsecondary institution if required by the postsecondary institution;
(18) record, unchanged, the grade given to the
dual credit student by the postsecondary institution on each student high
school transcript;
(19) retain educational records in accordance
with New Mexico statutes and record retention regulations as per 1.20.2 NMAC;
(20) comply with data collection and reporting
provisions in 6.30.7.12 NMAC;
(21) have a student appeals process pertaining
to student enrollment in dual credit programs LEA decisions are final); and
(22) have the right to appeal to the dual
credit council on issues related to implementing the dual credit program,
agreement, and rules.
I. Duties and responsibilities of the student. The student
shall:
(1) qualify for dual credit courses offered in
the fall, winter and summer by:
(a) being enrolled during the fall and winter
in a LEA in one-half or more of the minimum course requirements approved by the
New Mexico public education department for public school students under its
jurisdiction or by being in physical attendance at a bureau of Indian
education-funded high school at least three documented contact hours per day
pursuant to 25 CFR 39.211(c);
(b) obtaining permission from the LEA representative
(in consultation with the student’s individualized education program team, as
needed), the student’s parent or guardian, and postsecondary institution
representative through a fully executed form prior to enrolling in a dual
credit course; and
(c) meeting postsecondary institution
requirements to enroll as a dual credit student;
(2) discuss potential dual credit courses with
the appropriate LEAs and postsecondary institution staff, including
postsecondary institution admission and registration requirements, course
requirements, credits to be attempted, credits to be awarded, scheduling under
dual credit, and implications for failure to successfully complete the course;
(3) obtain course requirements for each
course, including course prerequisites, course content, grading policy,
attendance requirements, course completion requirements, performance standards,
and other related course information;
(4) meet the prerequisites and requirements of
the course(s) to be taken;
(5) complete the form available online or in
hard copy from the LEA or postsecondary institution;
(6) obtain approval for enrolling in the dual
credit program each semester by acquiring all necessary signatures on the form;
(7) register for courses during the
postsecondary institution’s standard registration periods (note: enrollments
shall not be permitted after the close of posted late registration);
(8) discuss any request for a change in
registration (add, drop, withdrawal) and complete all necessary forms and
procedures with appropriate LEA and postsecondary institution staff;
(9) comply with the LEA and postsecondary
institution student code of conduct and other institutional policies;
(10) have rights and privileges that include:
(a) the rights and privileges equal to those
extended to LEA and postsecondary institution students, unless otherwise
excluded by any section of this agreement;
(b) use of the postsecondary institution
library, course-related labs and other instructional facilities, use of the
postsecondary institution programs and services such as counseling, tutoring,
advising, and special services for the students with disabilities, and access
to postsecondary institution personnel and resources as required; and
(c) the right to appeal, in writing to the LEA
or postsecondary institution, as applicable, any decision pertaining to
enrollment in the dual credit program;
(11) return the textbooks and unused course
supplies to the LEA when the student completes the course or withdraws from the
course (subject to provisions in Subsection B of Section 22-15-10 NMSA 1978
regarding lost or damaged instructional material);
(12) arrange transportation to the site of the
dual credit course; depending upon the time and course location, the student
may have access to transportation through the LEA if the dual credit course is
offered during the school day;
(13) be responsible for course-specific (e.g.
lab, computer) fees;
(14) allow educational records to be retained
and disseminated in accordance with the requirements of the FERPA;
(15) sign the FERPA release form, along with student
parent or guardian, if applicable, in order to participate in dual credit
courses; and
(16) abide by regular operating calendars,
schedules and associated requirements of both the LEA and postsecondary
institution; in instances in which the calendars are incongruent, the student
is required to independently satisfy both calendar requirements and may consult
with LEA counselors for assistance.
[6.30.7.8 NMAC - Rp, 6.30.7.8 NMAC, 06/30/08; A, 08/16/10]
6.30.7.9 LIMITATIONS OF THE AGREEMENT.
A. With the exception of the appendix, the agreement may not
be altered or modified by either party.
B. The agreement shall automatically renew for additional
fiscal years unless either party notifies the other party of their intent not to
renew 60 days before the end of the fiscal year.
C. LEAs, in collaboration with postsecondary institutions,
may modify the list of dual credit courses in the appendix of the agreement.
Modifications shall be submitted to the higher education department and the
public education department by the end of each semester.
[6.30.7.9 NMAC - Rp, 6.30.7.9 NMAC, 06/30/08; A, 08/16/10]
6.30.7.10 LIABILITIES
OF PARTIES.
A. Dual credit status shall neither enhance nor diminish
on-campus liabilities for the LEA or the postsecondary institution.
B. Management of risk and liabilities shall be in accordance
with the LEA and the postsecondary institution policies and codes of conduct.
C. Personal liabilities for the student shall be equal to
those of regular postsecondary institution students.
[6.30.7.10 NMAC - Rp, 6.30.7.10 NMAC, 06/30/08; A, 08/16/10]
6.30.7.11 ELIGIBLE
COURSES.
A. Types of courses.
(1) College courses that are academic
or career technical and that simultaneously earn credit toward high school
graduation and a postsecondary degree or certificate shall be eligible for dual
credit. Remedial, developmental and
physical education activity courses are not eligible for dual credit.
(2) Courses taken for audit are not eligible for dual credit.
(3) Dual credit courses may be taken as elective or core course (except physical education activity course) high school credits.
(4) Dual credit courses must meet the public education department standards and benchmarks.
(5) College courses eligible for dual credit shall meet the rigor for postsecondary institution credit and be congruent with the postsecondary institution’s academic standards.
(6) Dual credit courses offered in high school settings shall conform to college academic standards.
(7) Course requirements for high school students enrolled in dual credit courses shall be equal to those of regular college students.
(8) Dual credit courses that are part of the general education common core for postsecondary institutions are eligible for transfer among New Mexico postsecondary institutions pursuant to Subsection D of 21-1B-3 NMSA 1978.
B. Identifying courses.
(1) The LEA in collaboration with the
postsecondary institution shall determine a list of academic and career
technical courses eligible for dual credit for inclusion into the appendix.
(3) The LEA shall annually submit the appendix to the higher
education department and the public education department; Subsection C of
6.30.7.9 NMAC still applies.
(4) The higher education department and the
public education department shall post the appendix on their respective
websites and update the appendix as needed.
C. Course delivery.
(1) Dual credit courses may be offered at
LEAs,, postsecondary institutions, and off-campus centers as determined by the
LEA in collaboration with the postsecondary institution offering the courses.
(2) Dual credit courses may be delivered
during or outside of regular LEA hours.
(3) Postsecondary institutions may offer dual
credit courses via distance learning (ITV, online, hybrid, correspondence) in
accordance with 6.30.7 NMAC as this option becomes available and
cost-effective. All dual credit course
rules apply.
(4) LEAs and postsecondary institutions
participating in the cyber academy shall be subject to applicable rules
pertaining to it.
D. Semesters dual credit may be taken; caps for dual credit;
nature of high school credit earned.
(1) Eligible students may enroll in dual
credit courses year-round.
(2) There is no state limit to the number of
credits a student may earn through dual credit in an academic term; however,
the student must meet eligibility requirements.
(3) Unless otherwise approved by the cabinet
secretaries of the higher education and public education departments,
successful completion of three credit hours of postsecondary instruction shall
result in the awarding of one high school unit for said completed postsecondary
course. If the LEA and postsecondary institution determine that a different
ratio is warranted for a particular dual credit course comparable to LEA core
courses in order to meet public education department standards and benchmarks,
they may appeal to the council, which may recommend a different ratio to the
cabinet secretaries of the public education and higher education departments.
The joint decision of the public education and higher education department
cabinet secretaries shall be final.
E. Dual credit council.
(1) The cabinet secretaries of the higher
education department and public education department shall appoint individuals
to a dual credit council consisting of six members.
(2) Council composition. The council shall
consist of an equal number of higher education department and public education
department staff with the council chairs alternating between the departments
every two years.
(3) The council shall administer an appeals
process for LEA and postsecondary institution representatives to address issues
outside the scope of the agreement, including the determination of alignment of
course content to determine the appropriate credit ratio.
(4) The council shall issue recommendations to
the department secretaries on issues not addressed in the agreement.
(5) LEAs and postsecondary institutions shall
be allowed to continue current practices regarding core courses offered for
dual credit until the council issues its recommendations or no later than the
beginning of the 2009-2010 school year, the time that dual credit courses
become a high school graduation requirement.
(6) The higher education department and public
education department cabinet secretaries shall act jointly upon dual credit
council recommendations.
[6.30.7.11 NMAC - Rp, 6.30.7.11 NMAC, 06/30/08; A, 08/16/10]
6.30.7.12 DATA
COLLECTION AND REPORTING.
A. Data collection.
(1) Each semester, a form shall be used to
document each student request for enrollment in courses for dual credit and the
review and approval process within the LEA and postsecondary institution. The
postsecondary institution may require additional forms and information from the
student.
(2) A completed form shall contain the high
school student first name, middle initial, and last name, unique state student
identification number, student grade level or expected date of high school
graduation, student address (street address, city, state, and zip code),
student county of residence, student telephone number, student gender, ACT high
school code, secondary school name, postsecondary institution name,
postsecondary institution course information (schedule number, course number,
course section, course title, day, time, location, higher education credits,
high school credits semester and year), a signed FERPA release form, required
signatures, check boxes that indicate: whether form was completed and signed by
all parties, whether student meets course prerequisites, and, if applicable,
whether student high school record was received; applicable placement exam
scores, high school grade point average, expected graduation date, and, if
applicable, date of birth.
(3) In the event of scheduling changes, the
postsecondary institution may change course information.
(4) Each LEA and postsecondary institution
shall use the completed form to capture dual credit student data.
(5) Each LEA and postsecondary institution
shall devise procedures for capturing dual credit data from the form.
(6) If applicable, each postsecondary
institution shall bear responsibility for obtaining each dual credit student’s
social security number to meet data reporting requirements.
(7) Each postsecondary institution shall
capture the public school student identification number retrieved from the
completed form for each dual credit high school student.
(8) The public education department shall
modify student transcripts to include the student identification number.
(9) The public education department shall
capture the postsecondary institution course subject and number and course
title from the appendix of each completed agreement.
B. Data reporting.
(1) For each completed form received, each LEA
shall indicate which courses a dual credit student takes within the public
education department data system.
(2) Each postsecondary institution shall
report dual credit student data to the higher education department as stated in
5.6 NMAC.
(3) Each LEA shall submit the dual credit
report during the appropriate reporting period to the public education
department that contains:
(a) the number of dual credit students
enrolled in college courses; and
(b) the courses taken and grades earned of each
dual credit student.
(4) Each postsecondary institution shall
submit the dual credit report during the appropriate reporting period to the
higher education department that contains:
(a) the number of dual credit students
enrolled in college courses; and
(b) the courses taken and grades earned of
each dual credit student.
(6) The public education department shall
report to the legislature the high school graduation rates for participating
LEAs for dual credit students once the students graduate from high school.
(7) The higher education department shall
report to the legislature on the New Mexico postsecondary institutions dual
credit students ultimately attend.
(8) The higher education department and the
public education department shall annually report to the legislature the
estimated cost of providing the statewide dual credit program, including
tuition, fees, textbooks, and course supplies.
[6.30.7.12 NMAC - Rp, 6.30.7.12 NMAC, 6/30/08; A, 08/16/10]
6.30.7.13 HOME
SCHOOL OR PRIVATE SCHOOL STUDENTS.
A. A home school or private school student who meets the
eligibility criteria may receive both high school and college credit, provided
that the student pays the full cost of the college courses.
B. Home school or private school students taking college
courses for both high school and college credit shall be considered as being
concurrently enrolled by the postsecondary institution for the purposes of data
reporting.
[6.30.7.13 NMAC - Rp, 6.30.7.13 NMAC, 6/30/08; A, 08/16/10]
History of 6.30.7 NMAC:
6.30.7
NMAC, Dual Credit, filed 8/2/2005 - Repealed effective 01/01/2008.
6.30.7
NMAC, Dual Credit, filed 12/14/2007 - Repealed effective 06/30/2008