Dual Enrollment

Please be advised that all content and curriculum of dual enrollment courses are established by the college or university. As a college level course, some of the content may include controversial topics that may not ordinarily be a part of a high school class. 

As equity is a priority in the PUHSD, we’ll be actively recruiting and encouraging students from underrepresented backgrounds to enroll; however, any student could benefit from a DE course since there is no cost, and the credits transfer to community colleges and most four-year universities as well. Additional students who might consider taking DE are:

• students planning on attending a community college or a four-year university
• students who take AP and want to experience DE as well 
• students who don’t feel like AP/IB is a good fit and/or don’t want to take the AP/IB tests
• students unsure about post secondary plans (opportunity to experience a college course)

AP (Advanced Placement) and IB (International Baccalaureate) courses are designed to offer students the most rigorous “college like” experience while still in high school. At the end of an AP or IB course, students are expected to take the AP or IB test (there’s a cost for the test; waivers are available for eligible students). Colleges determine the scores accepted from these exams for college credit. DE courses, on the other hand, are actual community college courses. Depending on the subject matter and level, DE might not cover as much material as an AP or IB course; however, they are still college level courses. There is no external test to take at the end, and the grade that the student earns in the course will be the grade that goes on their college transcript. CSUs, UCs, and any other higher institution that accepts community college units will  provide college credit when a DE course is successfully passed with a grade of C or better. If a student receives a D grade, they will still receive the college units; an F grade, however; will not.

There’s no “better” course between DE, AP and IB. Students are encouraged to take courses that fit into their sequence of study based on interests, strengths, intentions, post secondary goals, and their overall academic plan for their high school experience. Students should focus on a pathway that best prepares them for success at the next level, rather than just looking at course choice through the lens of college credit and weighted GPAs. Just like AP and IB, the purpose of DE is to give students a college experience while still in high school. This may be in a core academic area used for completion of the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) or in a CTE area. Students should be counseled into DE courses as they fit in their course of study.

It is important to note that DE course grades will be a part of the student’s college transcript, while AP and IB courses will not.

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects the privacy of students and prevents instructors from providing information to parents and others unless a student completes the FERPA Dual Enrollment Waiver Process to waive their FERPA rights.

High school graduation credits are earned in the designated course/subject, as well as Sierra College credits associated with the course taken. For example, Economics 1A grants students high school credits in Economics towards graduation and 3.0 college units for Economics transcripted by Sierra College as well.

Colleges view DE as a weighted honors level course for high school students applying for admission. Both CSUs and UCs look favorably on DE as a sign that students are pushing themselves academically by enrolling in courses of high rigor. Students who are applying to four-year universities should consider taking DE courses as they fit into a course of study of interest for each student. When students apply to most four-year colleges, they are able to receive an honors “bump” during the application process. At this time, DE will not be considered for honors credit (weighted GPA) on the high school transcript, but many colleges (including the UC system) will consider these honors levels classes when applying to college.

The credits earned through DE courses will be assigned to the permanent college transcript by the partner college. The credits through DE will be exactly the same as credits earned at Sierra College. Therefore, any college that accepts Sierra College credits, also accepts DE credit. There is no difference on student transcripts. That being said, students should still research the colleges/universities they are applying for to see if the Dual Enrollment class from Sierra College is accepted as transferable credit.

There is no grade level requirement for DE. However, some DE courses will be offered to specific grade levels based on the high school graduation credit to be received. Depending on the type and level of the course, some may have prerequisites.

The same supports that currently exist for students who are struggling in high school will be available to students who are taking DE: after school tutoring, availability of teachers for help, and the like. Teachers/sites will continue to monitor grades and provide additional academic support as needed. Academic support through the community college is also available to the student.

Only 11th and 12th grade students have this option available. Please contact a counselor for more details.

Students in grades 9 & 10 can take one DE course per semester.  Grade 11 & 12 students can take a maximum of 2 a semester.

Students do not need to take a placement test in order to enroll in a DE course. However, depending on the course, there may be some other requirements. Students interested in DE courses are encouraged to contact their counselor for more information. (There is an enrollment procedure that students must complete with Sierra College - students will be given this information when they enroll with their site for the Dual Enrollment Course). These courses are open access; nonetheless, students should also understand the responsibilities (and ramifications) that come with taking a college level course, including that if they receive a failing grade, it will remain on their community college transcript. There is an enrollment procedure that students must complete with the college and will be given this information when they enroll with their site for the Dual Enrollment Course.

To find out more about which DE courses are being offered at your site, talk with your counselor, look in the Academic Planning Guide, or talk with teachers at your school from that subject area.  

• Del Oro Dual Enrollment Courses

Most of the dual enrollment classes are taught by PUHSD teachers who meet the minimum qualifications established by the Community College System are hired by Sierra College to teach the courses. A master’s degree in the content area is required for most subjects (with the exception of some CTE courses). However, there are some courses offered by PUHSD that are taught by SIerra faculty including online courses and in the classroom setting.

Yes. PUHSD offers a number of online, asynchronous courses taught by PUHSD teachers and Sierra College Faculty.

At this point in time, the DE grades will not receive an extra GPA point for a high school GPA; however DE grades can receive an “honors bump” when applying to most four-year colleges.

There is no cost to families for DE courses. The district will purchase textbooks for the students to borrow during the semester. Requesting transcripts follows the policies of the partner college and may have fees associated with these requests. Other than that, there is no cost for DE.

The negative impact would only occur if the student did not pass the course. These courses will be included on the permanent college transcript for each student.

Sierra College: Enrollment steps will be emailed to students who are scheduled to take a dual enrollment class before the class starts, each term. Students will need to apply and both students and parents will need to fill out the required electronic forms. Students should complete the steps as soon as possible, and by the due date in the email, as Sierra's due date is typically one week into the term. Teachers and Mrs. Fessenden will also work with students during the first week of the term to complete these steps. If after attempting the steps, you need assistance, please contact Mrs. Fessenden for assistance at bfessenden@puhsd.k12.ca.us and 916-660-1019. Example- IMPORTANT TO DO NOW: FALL STATISTICS -COMPLETE THE APPLICATION STEPS......... 

Enrollment steps for the Sacramento State Programming class will be given in the Del Oro class a few weeks into the class.

Any student with an IEP or 504 Plan is welcome to enroll in a DE course. However, students/families should be mindful that support for students in a DE course may look different than support in a high school course. While the student’s IEP or 504 Plan is followed for the high school curriculum, they would need to enroll in SC’s Student Accessibility Services to be eligible for accommodations to any of the curriculum on the community college side. REQUESTING ACCOMODATIONS AT SIERRA