Early College Start

1. Early College Start Start Here and Get There Parent Information Session

2. What is Early College Start? ACC program that allows high school juniors and seniors to earn: • free or • low-cost college credit or • waived

3. What is Early College Start? • Dual credit – college course also meets high school graduation requirement (ex. GOVT 2305) • Co-enrollment – college course not needed for graduation (ex. GOVT 2306)

4. WHO? • Students who are “Rising Juniors” and have completed their sophomore year • Meet TSI/College Readinessrequirements established by the State of Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB). – Yellow Handout -

5. WHEN? • Starting summer after 10th grade • Ending last semester of 12th grade • Total of 12 course attempts/waivers = 36 college credit hours (potentially)

6. WHERE? • At any ACC campus, Center or distance learning • At the high school, if offering ACC classes during the regular school day

7. WHY? • Save $$$ (up to 1 yr of college) • Earn both high school AND college credit • Gain college experience while in high school • Stand out on college admission applications • Graduate from college early or reduce your semester load

9. HOW? - ACC Enrollment Steps See New ECS Student Enrollment Steps worksheet: Step 1: Application Step 2: PAA & Orientation Step 3: Testing (if needed) Step 4: Advising Step 5: Registration Step 6: Pay Tuition/Fees, if applicable

10. Very Important Notice for Students & Parents Even when the student is a minor, once they enroll in a postsecondary institution, they are treated as an adult! • FERPA: Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (Federal law) • Students “own” their academic records – no one else may have access without written student consent • Parents not automatically entitled to see underage college student records, including absences, grades, and course progress

11. Very Important Notice for Students • College professors not required to talk with parents; most will interact only with their student • ACC information goes directly to the student via the students ACCmail account • Course content and student expectations are not altered in any way to accommodate students under 18 years of age • Students pay for textbooks/required materials

12. Very Important Notice for Students Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) – Dept. of Ed. • Students must maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA • Students must complete 67% of all college courses (Completion Rate) • Courses failed and/or dropped with a ‘W’ count towards SAP • Failure to meet SAP requirements may affect financial aid eligibility once the student graduates from HS and attends a 2yr/4yr college or university

13. Why NOW? • ECS students do better than traditional students in terms of mean GPA and have better persistence from semester to semester • ACC credits transfer seamlessly to Texas public colleges and universities • U.S. Government at ACC = U.S. Government at UT, TAMU, TX State, etc. • ACC credits can transfer widely to Texas private colleges, as well as out-of-state public and private colleges/universities

14. QUESTIONS?

15. Contact Us Natalie S. Almanza, Specialist Dual Credit Austin Community College www.austincc.edu/ecs natalia.almanza@austincc.edu