What are Early College Programs?
The Hart District works in partnership with College of the Canyons Community College to offer early college opportunities to high school students. High school students have access to taking college courses while in high school through two programs, Dual Enrollment and Concurrent Enrollment/CollegeNow!. Through Course Articulation, specific high school courses can be counted for COC courses when students earn specific grades in the courses.
The Dual Enrollment (DE) Program brings college classes taught by college instructors to the high school campus. Students do not pay college fees or textbooks. Dual Enrollment classes are offered before the regular 8:30 am start time and in the periods after lunch. Most classes are offered two days a week in a hybrid format that combines in-person instruction with asynchronous online coursework and some are offered four days a week only in-person. Dual Enrollment classes are added to the student’s high school schedule and final grades are automatically added to the high school transcript. Dual Enrollment courses and grades are recorded on the student’s COC transcript. 11th and 12th graders are eligible for DE on every campus, 10th graders at some campuses can take specific DE classes, and students in Castaic’s iCAN program can begin taking specific classes in 9th grade. Students work with their high school counselors and COC’s Early College Programs department to enroll in these classes.
The Concurrent Enrollment/CollegeNow! (CE) program offers college courses to high school students at College of Canyons Community College. Concurrent Enrollment is open to students beginning the summer after 10th grade. The college offers in-person, hybrid, and online courses. Courses taken during fall and spring semesters can’t interfere with a student’s high school schedule. Students complete the enrollment process on their own through COC’s Early College Programs website. While the per-unit enrollment fee is waived by the college, students will pay mandatory student service fees and the cost of textbooks and materials. Courses and grades are recorded on the college transcript. If students want to add the courses and grades to their high school transcripts, they have to follow their high school’s procedure.
Students who participate in college in high school programs are more likely to graduate high school, enroll in college, persist in college, and complete a college degree or credential.
*Links to each of the above programs are found on the side panel.