First Dual Enrollment Class

[Reefgazer]

I am asking for opinions on what type of dual enrollment class my DD should take in the near future for her first dual enrolled class at a 4 year university.  "What interests her" is the obvious answer, but that still leaves a lot of classes to choose from.  Would you go for an academic class (biology, history) or more of an enrichment type class (art, music)?  What are the benefits of choosing one over the other?  In case it matters, we are more interested in the DE experience and verifying mommy grades than in fulfilling a requirement (we're planning enough at home that she won't need additional credits) or amassing transfer credits.

[Sunshine State Sue]

We are advised (by experienced hs moms) to start with a class called The College Experience:

 

This course is designed to strengthen skills essential to success in college, with further applications to post-college plans. Included are study and test-taking strategies; effective interpersonal skills; time management techniques; creative and critical thinking skills; college services and resources; educational policies, procedures, regulations and terminology; and library resources, research strategies, and information skills for online, blended, and traditional learning environments.

 

The other advice is to start the student in an an academically strong area so that they are successful.

[quark]

I am asking for opinions on what type of dual enrollment class my DD should take in the near future for her first dual enrolled class at a 4 year university.  "What interests her" is the obvious answer, but that still leaves a lot of classes to choose from.  Would you go for an academic class (biology, history) or more of an enrichment type class (art, music)?  What are the benefits of choosing one over the other?  In case it matters, we are more interested in the DE experience and verifying mommy grades than in fulfilling a requirement (we're planning enough at home that she won't need additional credits) or amassing transfer credits.

 

I remember how much fun we had perusing the course schedule catalog (the one with all the courses listed with the times and instructors). It was like choosing a meal at a buffet. DS has a lot of interests and highlighted so many courses, from photography to music to foreign languages to horticulture to badminton. But of course he couldn't do everything.

 

So, in the end, we went with a combination of interest + what made sense time wise + what initially triggered the need to take DE (further math challenge). We were open to anything and he said he wanted to take more than one so after finalizing his math choice, he chose a jazz band performance course and a conceptual physics course (not because he needed a credit but because the prof came very highly recommended and ended up being a very thoughtful, helpful, encouraging office hours mentor that semester).

 

Therefore some thoughts:

1. Interest

2. Suitability of time, and no. of days per week (classes 2x a week work better for us than classes every day or >2x a week)

3. Rate My professor ratings of course instructor and potential for this person to make a very positive impression (read RMP comments carefully, sometimes people rate highly because the instructor is too easy and that's not what your DC might want)

4. Comfort level with older students...music and arts/ theater classes tend to be more social which can be both good and bad depending on needs; lit, history and psychology type classes can contain very mature content and you have to think about how ready your DC is for that; math courses are usually straight forward but I don't recommend taking math courses at pre-alg/alg level via DE; science courses if requiring lab skills and lab reports can get very busy so plan accordingly.

5. edited to add -- Textbook choice

 

Good luck!

 

PS: DS didn't take an intro to college experience course because of overlap in material with skills he had already acquired after taking lots of outsourced classes prior to DE.

 

Edited February 27, 2016 by quark

[Lilaclady]

Good information Quark. We are also contemplating DE for 2017/18 session

[regentrude]

We picked the course where outsourcing was most needed because we could not do it at home.

My DD's first DE course (aside from the physics course she took without credit before she was formally enrolled as a student) was French 2, because that was something we could not teach at home - our French studies had plateaued despite the best efforts.

DS is currently taking his first college class based on interest.

 

For a first course, I would stay away from time consuming courses where it is difficult to get a very good grade - I want to set the student up for success. So, while DD did take calculus based physics, at the university in 11h grade, I would not have wanted this to be her first college class. I would also not choose a lab intensive class.

I also look at the strengths of my home school; any subject that I can teach better at home, I won't outsource to college (for example, calculus with AoPS is superior to the calculus 1 class taught at the local university.)

Lastly, I judge whether the subject is worth the expensive tuition to me. I am not inclined to pay several hundred dollars for a fun enrichment class with little academic value, or a course that just repeats what my kids has already learned at home, unless I could be sure the credit transfers. YMMV.

 

ETA: OP, if your goal is verification of mommy grades, I would choose academic classes, because that is where colleges are interested in grades. Nobody cares to have an outside verification for the art grade.

Edited February 27, 2016 by regentrude

[Lori D.]

We outsourced what we really couldn't do at home: Foreign Language, at the local community college. The credits transferred to the 4-year university and knocked out not only the high school graduate admissions requirement, but the 4-year degree program general ed. requirement :)

Edited February 27, 2016 by Lori D.

[Arch at Home]

We selected a class to fill in one of our gaps and work on a skill that needed developing, history. The essays and presentations required have been a great way to take those writing skills to the next level.

 

I would not recommend the College Experience or a similar type class. Though they should be a good introduction to college, the content is not particularly exciting, at least for my students. In addition, when dd1 took it, the class involved a lot of busy work and self evaluation which she was not ready for. Definitely get a review from someone prior to selecting that class.

 

Sarah

[G5052]

We do the required computer literacy course first because it's very black-and-white and provides useful skills for other classes.

 

Then we do foreign languages.

 

The local CC's don't allow dual enrollment for remedial courses (state law).

 

Their "student development" course is excellent for goal-setting.

 

Locally the drawing and design classes are fine. At a neighboring community college they use nude models in the second drawing class, so watch that if you're uncomfortable.

 

Physical education classes seem to be good. I know several locally who did rock climbing and golf.

 

Locally, I wouldn't do sociology or psychology. Both professors are known for showing "shock value" video clips and making students very uncomfortable.

 

I used to say no English (disturbing adult content in the book), but they finally changed textbooks, and it's fine now if you're careful with the choice of professor. One has a nasty personality and is very anti-homeschooling. The others are fine.

 

Anything math is fine, but if math is a struggle, I'd wait. College math classes usually go faster.

 

The sciences are fine, but again, watch the difficulty and pace. The local college doesn't have sciences for non-majors, so here they are only for students looking for a challenge. 

Edited February 27, 2016 by G5052

[Luckymama]

I outsourced what I could not teach----foreign language.

 

I was not going to pay good money for anything I could do at home or for an art or music or gym class. There is no tuition reduction. We have to pay $475 per credit hour.

 

I doubt a 4 year university has a class called The College Experience.

 

OP, i think you should choose an academic class for grade verification. Have fun discussing the options! Dd is like a kid in a candy shop as she reads course catalogs :)

[AngieW in Texas]

We do dual credit at the community college, conveniently located about a 5 minute drive or 60 minute walk from our house.

 

We do use dual credit to meet high school requirements, so classes that would be more fun as a class than doing them at home and classes that we can't really do at home are at the top of our list.

 

My oldest did:

psychology (poor choice for her), English I/II, physics I, chemistry I, drawing I/II (interest-based choices), Japanese I/II/III (interest and foreign language), trigonometry (needed to do math with somebody other than me), statistics

 

My middle did:

psychology (high interest for her, but instructor was horrible despite great ratings on ratemyprofessor), chemistry I/II, English I/II (really wanted the class discussions and LOVED these classes), basic computer programming, Spanish I/II (foreign language requirement), government I/II (didn't want to have to take these again in college and loved the classes)

 

My youngest did:
English I/II (loved the class discussions), biology I, geology, government I (loved the class discussions), business math, statistics

 

Aside from the one really bad teacher that my middle dd got (and it was her first class with her favorite subject), their dual credit experiences have been positive.

 

My 17yo is really enjoying her geology and statistics classes right now because they are very social. That was her favorite aspect of her English and government classes. Her geology and statistics classes both have study groups that get together every week.

Edited February 27, 2016 by AngieW in Texas

[Haiku]

This is a great topic and one I have been pondering a lot recently. Thanks for posting!

[OnMyOwn]

I am thinking about my having my son take a class at the cc this fall. We'd been considering an English composition course or Spanish, but he's decided to continue with La Clase for Spanish next year. It seems like composition would be good because we've been outsourcing that anyway. We'll see.

Edited February 27, 2016 by OnMyOwn

[katilac]

First, check the pre-reqs of various classes before working on a schedule. At dd's uni, there were a ton of literature and history classes that you couldn't take until after finishing the year-long English composition series, plus some "introduction to" classes that only declared majors could take - intro to filmmaking for example. Personally I thought an intro class would be mighty helpful before picking a major, but that's how it is. 

 

Oh, DE students also cannot take The College Experience type course at her school. 

 

Verifying mommy grades absolutely requires academic classes. It's nice to hand over foreign languages - dd has done 4 semesters of French, 3 of Spanish, 1 of precalc, and 2 of English composition. She wound up not taking any lit or history in her last year, bc it would have meant 5 days a week instead of T/Th. 

 

However, if she's only in 8th-grade and will be starting DE in 9th, she can certainly start with enrichment and still have plenty of time to add academics. Just make sure you look at a syllabus or talk to a teacher for classes like art; even introductory ones can be time-consuming and very hard on the ego. 

[quark]

I outsourced what I could not teach----foreign language.

 

I was not going to pay good money for anything I could do at home or for an art or music or gym class. There is no tuition reduction. We have to pay $475 per credit hour.

 

I doubt a 4 year university has a class called The College Experience.

 

OP, i think you should choose an academic class for grade verification. Have fun discussing the options! Dd is like a kid in a candy shop as she reads course catalogs :)

 

I had initially missed the 4-year uni part! Sorry OP, I keep misreading posts these days.

 

DS's 4-year uni choices are too expensive so we have to choose for both interest and academic challenge. His CC courses are much cheaper and hence, sometimes, he makes kid in a candy store style choices.

 

[Reefgazer]

I wonder if these courses vary tremendously from school to school? 

We are advised (by experienced hs moms) to start with a class called The College Experience:

 

 

The other advice is to start the student in an an academically strong area so that they are successful.

 

[Reefgazer]

I've been toying with a Latin translation course for this reason; I can learn the Latin grammar along side her and we do well with that, but come translation time, I think DD will be better served by an actual Latin teacher.  DD is enthusiastically looking at non-foreign language courses, though.

We picked the course where outsourcing was most needed because we could not do it at home.

My DD's first DE course (aside from the physics course she took without credit before she was formally enrolled as a student) was French 2, because that was something we could not teach at home - our French studies had plateaued despite the best efforts.

DS is currently taking his first college class based on interest.

 

For a first course, I would stay away from time consuming courses where it is difficult to get a very good grade - I want to set the student up for success. So, while DD did take calculus based physics, at the university in 11h grade, I would not have wanted this to be her first college class. I would also not choose a lab intensive class.

I also look at the strengths of my home school; any subject that I can teach better at home, I won't outsource to college (for example, calculus with AoPS is superior to the calculus 1 class taught at the local university.)

Lastly, I judge whether the subject is worth the expensive tuition to me. I am not inclined to pay several hundred dollars for a fun enrichment class with little academic value, or a course that just repeats what my kids has already learned at home, unless I could be sure the credit transfers. YMMV.

 

ETA: OP, if your goal is verification of mommy grades, I would choose academic classes, because that is where colleges are interested in grades. Nobody cares to have an outside verification for the art grade.

 

[G5052]

A warning on freshman comp--several of my kids took Academic Writing, and I'm glad they were older when they did. The course consisted of horrible readings that no one cared about. The students were required to take positions for and against, analyze, etc. as you would expect. But the readings were not something I'd want my younger teens exposed to... 

 

 

Exactly. The previous textbooks at the local college was rife with this sort of thing. I borrowed it from a young lady I was mentoring because I had heard so much about it, and it was horrid. Nothing remotely inspiring or encouraging. Not that a writing class shouldn't cover a few things from deeper waters, but there was nothing positive in what I read.

 

Thankfully they changed, and the current texts are fine with me. Some R-rated material here-and-there, but not a lot. My oldest commented that he is re-reading some classic short stories and essays this semester that he read in high school.

[OnMyOwn]

A warning on freshman comp--several of my kids took Academic Writing, and I'm glad they were older when they did. The course consisted of horrible readings that no one cared about. The students were required to take positions for and against, analyze, etc. as you would expect. But the readings were not something I'd want my younger teens exposed to...

 

Most unis have some sort of placement exam--often Accuplacer. Some use ACT or SAT scores to place into specific courses. For example: the pre-calc course that dd is taking right now requires "Prerequisite: ACT math score of 23 or above; SAT math score of 530 or above; MATH 140 with a minimum grade of “C-â€; or Accuplacer university- level mathematics test with a score of 65 or above". Technically, she placed into calc I. We knew better!

Ugh. I knew to avoid the literature classes but I thought a writing class would be a safe bet.

[AngieW in Texas]

The English composition classes at my local cc are great. There were a few stories that my kids didn't care for, but nothing that was awful. They loved the class discussions. My kids were in 11th or 12th grade when they did the composition courses.

[Matryoshka]

Exactly. The previous textbooks at the local college was rife with this sort of thing. I borrowed it from a young lady I was mentoring because I had heard so much about it, and it was horrid. Nothing remotely inspiring or encouraging. Not that a writing class shouldn't cover a few things from deeper waters, but there was nothing positive in what I read.

 

Thankfully they changed, and the current texts are fine with me. Some R-rated material here-and-there, but not a lot. My oldest commented that he is re-reading some classic short stories and essays this semester that he read in high school.

 

I'm holding off on English Comp partly for this reason.  It does look like dd will be taking it a semester earlier than I'd originally planned, but at least she'll be 16 by then. 

 

Her first classes are this semester (as a newly minted 15yo) - they're Zoology and German 3/4.

 

When her older sister started at the CC, she was a 16yo junior.  Her first class was Cultural Anthropology (she wants to be an Archaeologist). 

 

It seems the English comp classes at the CC vary widely by teacher - some are tough, some are fluff, some read 'edgy' stuff, some more thoughtful and insightful stuff.  I'm thinking we'll just have to read between the lines at ratemyprofessor and try to figure it out.  I know the Honors Comp class is very good, but youngest dd is not really English focused, and I'm not sure that she'll want the Honors workload, and prefer to check the box...

[Janeway]

I wanted to ask the same thing.

 

I attended some meetings with this person who helps home schoolers plan high school. In her case, she recommends classes that will count toward something at the college, but also, ones you know your child can get an A in. So, she would recommend college algebra to someone who has already completed all the high school math. And both freshman Englishes. That sort of thing. A friend of mine said to finish the "core complete." I guess if you do the core at the community college, it will transfer in bulk to the state university and omit the requirement the core at the university, even if the cores are different.

 

I am not sure what my child will take. He really wants to get started. I want him to enjoy his first class, but I also want it to be fruitful toward college.

[Chrysalis Academy]

I'm in the midst of this debate as well.  Something in Theater Arts, probably an acting class, will be an early class, and is probably a good bet for dd because it is her passion and she has a lot of acting experience. I'm not too worried about content, though it is on my radar.

 

My other thought was Spanish, although I can't decide whether she should do Spanish 1, which would basically be a repeat of what we've done at home and thus should be an easy A, or Spanish 2 which she is technically ready for content-wise, but might be a challenge due to the much faster pace.

 

We will definitely want to outsource lab sciences in the last two years, but I think I have science covered for now. At this point writing, history, and literature are things we look forward to doing at home.

 

Math is another dilemma, I feel the need to outsource that after Geometry, but I don't know whether that would be a good thing for her to do at the cc with a live teacher & access to the tutoring center, or whether we should outsource it online.  The cc would definitely be cheaper, but less convenient, with the drive down there breaking up the day.  Online class would be more expensive, but potentially more convenient, and you don't have the risk of a lower grade following you around forever on your college transcript.

 

Decisions, decisions.

[regentrude]

Math is another dilemma, I feel the need to outsource that after Geometry, but I don't know whether that would be a good thing for her to do at the cc with a live teacher & access to the tutoring center, or whether we should outsource it online.  The cc would definitely be cheaper, but less convenient, with the drive down there breaking up the day.  Online class would be more expensive, but potentially more convenient, and you don't have the risk of a lower grade following you around forever on your college transcrip

 

 

A big disadvantage of having a student take high school level math at CC is that she will be in a class with students who struggle with math and are placed in remedial classes for this reason

I do not consider this a good option for a strong high school student.

[jenn-]

We were going to start DD in Spanish this year, but we were informed she was accepted too late to get into any of the Spanish 1 classes.  Honestly that was probably a good thing.  She ended up doing Eng Comp 101 last semester and is working on 102 this semester.  I think it has helped her to know what the heck the teacher is saying to learn note taking.  We will tackle foreign language next year.

[Chrysalis Academy]

A big disadvantage of having a student take high school level math at CC is that she will be in a class with students who struggle with math and are placed in remedial classes for this reason

I do not consider this a good option for a strong high school student.

 

Ah, good point. I hadn't thought of that. Yes, she'd be a pretty math-strong 15 year old in a class with a lot of remedial older students.  That probably isn't the best move.

[Matryoshka]

A big disadvantage of having a student take high school level math at CC is that she will be in a class with students who struggle with math and are placed in remedial classes for this reason

I do not consider this a good option for a strong high school student.

 

At our CC they have this weird new rule this year (it might be state-wide) that DE students can only take college-level classes, not remedial.  I was thinking that was really odd that the high school students can only take college level classes, and only the college students can take high school level classes.

 

With that logic, it makes more sense...

 

[regentrude]

At our CC they have this weird new rule this year (it might be state-wide) that DE students can only take college-level classes, not remedial.  I was thinking that was really odd that the high school students can only take college level classes, and only the college students can take high school level classes.

 

I think the rule makes perfect sense: if the high school students want to take high school level classes, they can take those at the high school - that's what high schools are for.

A college student who needs remediation does not have this option. College have enough to deal with remediation already; it makes no sense to inflate those classes further by admitting high school students.

 

 

Edited February 28, 2016 by regentrude

[G5052]

I think the rule makes perfect sense: if the high school students want to take high school level classes, they can take those at the high school - that's what high schools are for.

A college student who needs remediation does not have this option. College have enough to deal with remediation already; it makes no sense to inflate those classes further by admitting high school students.

 

That's what I was told when I asked about this. It's actually a state law here that high school students cannot take remedial math and English at the college level until after they graduate.

[Kassia]

My daughter (8th grade) will take her first DE class this summer - Spanish 1 and 2.  I'm worried 2 will be too fast for her for a summer class, so we'll see what the pace of the first class is.  She has been learning Spanish on her own for a year now and knows quite a bit, but I don't want it to be a stressful experience for her.  

 

Erica

[Targhee]

A big disadvantage of having a student take high school level math at CC is that she will be in a class with students who struggle with math and are placed in remedial classes for this reason

I do not consider this a good option for a strong high school student.

This is a great point! Not exactly the same, but my dd was in an online high school pre algebra class when she was 10 and the rest of the class was made up of 14-15 year olds that didn't like math or struggled in it.  It was a very poor match, and we left after three weeks.

[Matryoshka]

I think the rule makes perfect sense: if the high school students want to take high school level classes, they can take those at the high school - that's what high schools are for.

 

I already figured this was the reasoning of the people coming up with the policy, but it doesn't really apply to homeschooled students who don't have a default high school to take these classes at - if the parent doesn't feel up to teaching high school math themselves, that leaves pretty much online classes or pricey tutors..

 

The arguments about mixing advanced younger kids with older kids who didn't get it the first time makes sense even for homeschoolers, though...

 

[Daria]

That's what I was told when I asked about this. It's actually a state law here that high school students cannot take remedial math and English at the college level until after they graduate.

We have the same rule. I don't know if it is law or just a rule at the local CC.

[goldberry]

 

The other advice is to start the student in an an academically strong area so that they are successful.

 

We started DD with a math class, since she is very confident in math.  The adviser suggested English Comp.  HA.  She would have struggled and it would have been very negative for her.  (She's a math/science girl.)  I wanted her to have a good first experience.

[workingmom]

We picked something we couldn't do at home. In 10th DS took Chem with Lab and it was a fantastic experience. However it started out a bit dicey because he hadn't actually taken a formal high school chemistry more of a physical sciences course in 8th that covered about the first class of his Dual enrollment Chem. I would recommend taking something he likes, and you can't do at home. But you want his first experience to be something positive so preferably a class building on something he's already had the basics in .

[regentrude]

I already figured this was the reasoning of the people coming up with the policy, but it doesn't really apply to homeschooled students who don't have a default high school to take these classes at - if the parent doesn't feel up to teaching high school math themselves, that leaves pretty much online classes or pricey tutors..

 

Your school district does not allow homeschooled students to take classes at the high school?

 

[Matryoshka]

Your school district does not allow homeschooled students to take classes at the high school?

 

Many, many ps districts do not allow this.

 

In our district it becomes a bit of a moot point based on their rotating schedule, so that a class is at a different time from day to day and week to week. There's pretty much no way to manage that; even the ps kids who do DE end up at the CC full time.

[JeanM]

A warning on freshman comp--several of my kids took Academic Writing, and I'm glad they were older when they did. The course consisted of horrible readings that no one cared about. The students were required to take positions for and against, analyze, etc. as you would expect. But the readings were not something I'd want my younger teens exposed to... 

 

 

:iagree: My ds took first semester community college writing. Most of the class was OK, and the teacher was really good. However, they did have a required research paper on s*e*x*t*i*n*g, which I thought was a bit much. I cautioned ds not to just google the topic! Also, they watched a rather graphic R rated movie and had required papers and discussion about the movie.

 

[Haiku]

it doesn't really apply to homeschooled students who don't have a default high school to take these classes at - if the parent doesn't feel up to teaching high school math themselves, that leaves pretty much online classes or pricey tutors

 

I think that's one of the risks of homeschooling. We assume responsibility for educating our kids, and I don't think we can expect a college to educate our high school-age children at the high school level simply because we don't want to or don't feel able. Colleges are for college-age students or those who can do college-level work, not those who are high school-age and can do high school-level work.

[Reefgazer]

I hadn't thought of this; we were thinking of outsourcing stats or calculus.  But I guess those wouldn't be considered remedial at any rate.

A big disadvantage of having a student take high school level math at CC is that she will be in a class with students who struggle with math and are placed in remedial classes for this reason

I do not consider this a good option for a strong high school student.

 

[Reefgazer]

Our public school district doesn't allow that, either.  But we have a few private schools that do, so I could "buy" a class at one of the private schools if I wanted to go this route.

Many, many ps districts do not allow this.

In our district it becomes a bit of a moot point based on their rotating schedule, so that a class is at a different time from day to day and week to week. There's pretty much no way to manage that; even the ps kids who do DE end up at the CC full time.

 

[G5052]

I hadn't thought of this; we were thinking of outsourcing stats or calculus.  But I guess those wouldn't be considered remedial at any rate.

 

That should be fine.

 

Friends who teach the remedial English and math classes say that it isn't uncommon for less than 1/4 of the class to pass it. Really. So I wouldn't drop a homeschooled kid into that even if it was possible here (which it isn't). A friend who was teaching the first remedial English class several years ago had a section where only two out of twenty passed it and were able to go to the next level of remedial English.

[quark]

I hadn't thought of this; we were thinking of outsourcing stats or calculus. But I guess those wouldn't be considered remedial at any rate.

They won't or at least shouldn't. But the catch is they might be more busywork than a homeschool friendly online class.

[Haiku]

A friend who was teaching the first remedial English class several years ago had a section where only two out of twenty passed it and were able to go to the next level of remedial English.

 

An article I read recently said that 60% of college students require remedial classes in at least one subject.  :ohmy:

[Daria]

I know that at our local CC there are only 2 levels of remedial math, but they get students who might come in with 2nd or 3rd grade skills.  Students can work incredibly hard, and still need many passes through the class to be ready for the next step.  After all, it takes PS students 9 years to get from 2nd grade to precalculus class.  

 

 

 

Adults who never received basic math instruction, are the reason the classes exist.  Honestly, returning to math can be incredibly stressful for many adults.  It's an act of bravery to attempt.  Having a 13 year old in the next seat isn't going to help that situation.  I can see why these classes are limited to adults only.  

[katilac]

An article I read recently said that 60% of college students require remedial classes in at least one subject.  :ohmy:

 

The 60% is referring to students at two-year community colleges with no entry requirements. A very high number, but less surprising because that is part of the mission of community colleges. 

 

Less selective four-year schools that have some requirements average 30% needing some remediation. It's 10% for highly selective schools. 

 

30% is still a lot of remediation, but the middle category of "less selective" is huge. I wasn't patient enough to dig in and see what their criteria were, but usually you would have the highly selective with their 10% and then the middle section of less selective would be broken down into 3 categories, not one. So the top half of that category is going to look much different than the bottom half for remediation. 

 

Link is here:

http://www.highereducation.org/reports/college_readiness/gap.shtml

[Reefgazer]

That's sad, but I don't think those stats should be surprising.  It takes a *lot* of time to become proficient in reading or math and I always wondered how they remediated adults up to college level in one semester.

That should be fine.

 

Friends who teach the remedial English and math classes say that it isn't uncommon for less than 1/4 of the class to pass it. Really. So I wouldn't drop a homeschooled kid into that even if it was possible here (which it isn't). A friend who was teaching the first remedial English class several years ago had a section where only two out of twenty passed it and were able to go to the next level of remedial English.

 

[G5052]

That's sad, but I don't think those stats should be surprising.  It takes a *lot* of time to become proficient in reading or math and I always wondered how they remediated adults up to college level in one semester.

 

Very, very few make it. I don't have recent stats, but at one point it was less than 10% who got past the remedial classes completely and into college work at the local community college. That was over several years, not a semester. A math professor friend once told me that in her experience the people who do the best in the remedial classes are those over 30 who did OK in math in high school, but need review and updated skills versus really not having much background at all. Some of course make it despite very little background, but it's much, much harder.

 

They actually have several programs now where students go through these classes as a cohort along with scheduled study sessions and special sessions on time management, goal-setting, study skills, etc. From what I've read, they're seeing much more success with that model.

 

In my state, funding for higher education and funding for K-12 are strictly separated, so that is why there are restrictions on dual enrollment. For dual enrollment offered in the high schools, the high schools pay the teacher and associated costs, and the students pay a small fee to the college for record-keeping and such. That's the only overlap that I know of. Homeschooled students here can take dual enrollment in the high school as well, but you register after their full-time students. Sometimes they don't have slots. If you get in, you pay only the fee to the college for record-keeping.

[angela in ohio]

We outsourced math and science mostly, so we started with those. But second dd has taken more and more courses, including Psych, Soc, and 3 English classes.

 

For a first class, I would recommend an "Intro to..." class in the humanities or social sciences for a first course. They are generally a nice mix of tests and papers/projects, and not terribly difficult as long as students show up and read the material.

[MarkT]

I think the rule makes perfect sense: if the high school students want to take high school level classes, they can take those at the high school - that's what high schools are for.

A college student who needs remediation does not have this option. College have enough to deal with remediation already; it makes no sense to inflate those classes further by admitting high school students.

High Schools around here actually call it "Concurrent Enrollment".  Unfortunately for Math they typically only offer College Alg/Trig or Precalc.  The High School students take it as an "honors" class and most then take AP Calc the next year.

 

For English they have the 101 and 102 type courses.  The rest are "career oriented" classes.

 

All are taught by High School teachers that meet the local community college standards for the particular class.  Students only pay a $45 textbook fee for each college class so you can't beat the cost.

 

None of the local charters have this program nor is it available to home-schoolers.  The community college advisor said they didn't like the hoops they had to jump through to set it up (my words).

[Matryoshka]

High Schools around here actually call it "Concurrent Enrollment". Unfortunately for Math they typically only offer College Alg/Trig or Precalc. The High School students take it as an "honors" class and most then take AP Calc the next year.

 

For English they have the 101 and 102 type courses. The rest are "career oriented" classes.

 

All are taught by High School teachers that meet the local community college standards for the particular class. Students only pay a $45 textbook fee for each college class so you can't beat the cost.

 

None of the local charters have this program nor is it available to home-schoolers. The community college advisor said they didn't like the hoops they had to jump through to set it up (my words).

Here there's no such thing as DE at a high school. That seems really weird to me. DE is physically at the CC and taken with the regular CC students.