FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
Jeanine Blomberg
T. WILLARD FAIR,
Chairman
Commissioner of Education
Members
DONNA G. CALLAWAY
DR. AKSHAY DESAI
ROBERTO MARTÍNEZ
PHOEBE RAULERSON
KATHLEEN SHANAHAN
LINDA K. TAYLOR
July 24, 2007
M E M O R A N D U M
TO:
District School Superintendents
District Guidance Supervisors
District
MIS
Directors
Community College Dual Enrollment Coordinators
FROM:
Dr. Heather Sherry, Director, Office of Articulation
Dr. Judith Bilsky, Executive Vice Chancellor, Division of Community Colleges
Mr. Pete Tanzy, Manager, K-20 Application Support Group
SUBJECT:
Dual Enrollment – FASTER Transcript Instruction and Student Advising
In support of the State Board of Education’s goal for seamless articulation and maximum access, the De-
partment of Education’s Office of Articulation has recently conducted regional workshops to facilitate the
effective development of Interinstitutional Articulation Agreements and increase awareness and under-
standing of the state’s dual enrollment program. Workshop discussions generated requests for additional
advising information and technical assistance related to FASTER (Florida Automated System for Trans-
ferring Education Records) transcript entry for dual enrollment courses.
Dual enrollment courses are postsecondary courses that eligible high school students can take to earn both
high school and college or career certificate credit facilitating accelerated progress toward a postsecond-
ary certificate or degree. Dual enrollment course numbers differ from secondary course numbers identi-
fied in the Course Code Directory. High school students may participate in dual enrollment offered at a
public or private postsecondary institution for which the public school district has an Interinstitutional
Articulation Agreement, (Section 1007.235, Florida Statutes). Postsecondary courses offered at all state
universities and community colleges are maintained by the Statewide Course Numbering System (SCNS)
and identified by a three-letter prefix followed by four numerical digits. Online descriptions of SCNS
course numbers and descriptions are available at http://scns.fldoe.org/scns/public/pb_index.jsp. Dual en-
rollment course grades are recorded to the postsecondary transcript, including withdrawal codes, which
become part of the student’s permanent college record.
325 W. GAINES STREET, SUITE 1401 • TALLAHASSEE, FL 32399-0400 • (850) 245-0427 • www.fldoe.org
Dual Enrollment – FASTER Transcript
Instruction and Student Advising
Page Two
July 24, 2007
FASTER Transcript Instructions
1.
?
When a student withdraws from a dual enrollment course, what procedures should the high
school follow for entering course credit and grade to the high school transcript?
The postsecondary institution records dual enrollment courses and grades to the official postsec-
ondary transcript and provides end-of-term grade reports. The postsecondary institution specifies
dates that permit students to drop a course without penalty, known as “drop-add”. If a student
drops within this approved timeframe, the dual enrollment course is not recorded to the postsec-
ondary transcript. If the student withdraws after the college “drop-add” deadline, the postsecond-
ary transcript will indicate a “W” or an “F” code for the course(s), depending on the date of with-
drawal during the term. State Board Rule 6A-1.09941, F.A.C.,
State Uniform Transfer of High
School Credits
, establishes uniform procedures related to the high school’s acceptance of transfer
credit for students in Florida’s public schools.
(1) Credits and grades earned and offered for acceptance shall be based on official transcripts
and shall be accepted at face value subject to validation if required by the receiving school’s
accreditation....
Public high schools must accept dual enrollment course grades from the public postsecondary in-
stitution’s official college transcript at “face value,” and enter the SCNS course prefix/number
and grade, including a “W” code to the high school transcript.
High schools may not change or modify postsecondary transcript grades, or change a “W” with-
drawal code to an “F” grade on the high school transcript. The following provides guidance re-
lated to FASTER transcript instructions:
•
?
If the high school student withdraws from a college course by the college “drop-add”
deadline and the postsecondary transcript does not reflect a course or grade, the high
school can enter “NG” for “No Grade Assigned” or omit the entry of the postsecondary
course to the high school transcript.
•
?
If a student withdraws from a dual enrollment course and the postsecondary institution
coded the withdrawal with a “W” code, the high school must enter a “W” code for the
dual enrollment course to the high school transcript. A new code will be created to allow
the entry of a “W” to the high school transcript, specific to dual enrollment courses. This
new code will be reflected in the updated FASTER User Manual and Change Summary.
Preliminary Advising
High school students must demonstrate “college readiness” in order to participate in the dual en-
rollment program by passing college placement exams, earning a qualifying high school GPA,
and obtaining approval from the high school. During the advising process, it is important to share
with both the parent and the student the consequences of poor performance or course withdrawal.
High schools should make every effort to accommodate returning seniors who have withdrawn
from a dual enrollment course to allow the student to recover the credit needed for graduation
through courses on the high school campus or through the Florida Virtual School. Key advising
points may include:
Dual Enrollment – FASTER Transcript
Instruction and Student Advising
Page Three
July 24, 2007
•
?
Students who withdraw from a dual enrollment course(s) must immediately notify the high
school counselor in order to facilitate appropriate high school course placement decisions.
•
?
Students must follow the college protocol for course withdrawal to minimize the reporting of
negative information to the postsecondary transcript.
•
?
Students who withdraw from dual enrollment courses are subject to the limitations of mid-
term high school course availability and must consider the potential impact on meeting
graduation requirements.
2.
?
What course number should be entered for postsecondary courses completed from eligible
private colleges, independent universities, or out-of-state postsecondary institutions?
Postsecondary credit earned from private, independent and out-of-state postsecondary institutions
is recorded to the postsecondary transcript. Students should be advised to submit a copy of the
private, independent, or out-of-state postsecondary transcript for high school transfer of credit.
After reviewing the postsecondary transcript, counselors must determine the appropriate content
area for which the dual enrollment course may satisfy high school subject area credit and enter
the course codes as described in the following instructions. The coding information is further ex-
plained in the Bright Futures Comprehensive Course Table within the “Spcl Case” hypertext in
the “Dup Crse” column.
Private College Dual Enrollment Courses
Course code “ZZZ9999” is provided for schools to report dual enrollment credits earned at pri-
vate colleges or universities. Except in the case of science credits (see the two special cases that
follow), there is no limit on the number of private college courses for which this code can be
used. To distinguish between two courses using the “ZZZ9999” code, enter the course name un-
der “Local Course Title” (Bright Futures on-line system) or in the “Course Title, Abbreviated”
field (FASTER electronic transcript system), and specify the subject area in which the course
should be used.
Private College Dual Enrollment Science Courses with Labs
The maximum credit awarded for a dual enrollment science course taken at a private college or
university will be limited to 0.5 credits, because there is no “ZZZL999” course code to record the
lab course required to earn a full 1.0 credit. If code “ZZZ9999” is used, and a school needs to re-
port a full 1.0 science credit for a student completing a dual enrollment science course with a lab
at a private college or university, the school should assign course code “ZZZC99A.” If the school
needs to similarly report a second course for a full credit, the school must use code “ZZZC99B”
and code “ZZZC99C” for a third such course. Note: Three course codes have been provided to
record science graduation requirements completed through private college dual enrollment sci-
ence courses for 1.0 credit each.
Dual Enrollment – FASTER Transcript
Instruction and Student Advising
Page Four
July 24, 2007
Private College Dual Enrollment Science Courses Without Labs
Code “ZZZ9999” can be used to report a dual enrollment science course taken at a private college
or university where the course did not have a lab component (lecture only). If more than one
such lecture-only course needs to be reported, the following course codes can be used:
“ZZZ999D”, “ZZZ999E”, “ZZZ999F”, “ZZZ999G”, and “ZZZ999H.” These courses shall be
awarded a maximum of 0.5 credit each. Note: Five course codes are provided to record all of the
science graduation requirements completed through private college dual enrollment science lec-
ture courses (0.5 credit each).
3.
?
What course codes apply for Dual Enrollment Science courses taken with a separate lecture
and lab, and how does Bright Futures calculate the lab grade and credit?
The Bright Futures Comprehensive Course Table provides an explanation of the award of credit
for the different combinations of science lecture and lab courses. In June 2006, the Office of Ar-
ticulation, upon the recommendation from the Standing Committee for Postsecondary Transition,
amended the identification of a dual enrollment science "corresponding lab" as a lab course with
the same three-character prefix as the lecture course. Previously, both the three-character prefix
and the three-digit number of the lecture and lab courses needed to correspond. This revision al-
lowed for a corresponding
prefix
, rather than an exact course number, to match the lecture course
and signify 1.0 credit for the Bright Futures calculation. This change was retroactive to the 2005-
06 academic year and effective for the summer 2006 evaluations. See the example.
CHMC045
=
1.0
credit
?
CHM1045 and CHML045
= 1.0 credit
?
CHM1045 (with no lab)
= 0.5 credit
?
CHML045 (with no course)
= 0.0 credit
?
CHM1045 and CHML211
= 1.0 credit
?
CHM1045 and a non-CHM lab = 0.5 credit
?
Upcoming Revisions:
In response to requests to clarify dual enrollment Science lecture and lab
courses for Bright Futures calculations, the following changes will become effective for the 2007-
2008 school year.
Coding for the Science Lecture and Separate Lab Course
Effective fall 2007, the revised
Dual Enrollment Course-High School Subject Area Equivalency
List
provides clarification about course code entry for science courses with the presence of a lab
as a separate course or combined with the lecture. The following example compares the old text
to the recent changes. The revised list will be available from the Office of Articulation website,
http://www.fldoe.org/articulation/ and FACTS.org, under Advising Manuals,
http://facts23.facts.org/Advising%20Manuals/pdf/Dual%20Enrollment%20List%20for%20Mar%
2007%20SBE%20Approval.pdf.
Dual Enrollment – FASTER Transcript
Instruction and Student Advising
Page Five
July 24, 2007
From AST
X
002/L
Introduction To As-
tronomy/With Lab
Course
Science 1.0
TO AST
X
002/002L
Introduction To As-
tronomy (Lecture
and Lab Course)
Science
1.0
From
AST
X
002C
Introduction to As-
tronomy with Lab
Science 1.0
TO AST
X
002C
Introduction To As-
tronomy (Com-
bined Lecture
and Lab)
Science
1.0
4.
?
Have new dual enrollment courses been added to supplement the current Dual Enrollment
Course Equivalency list?
Yes, recent course additions and an amended title change for this document was approved by the
Articulation Coordinating Committee on May 23, 2007, and will become effective pending State
Board of Education approval in August 2007. Improvements include:
1.
?
Revised title to provide clarity of purpose for the list:
•
?
Formerly = “The Dual Enrollment Course Equivalency List”
•
?
Now = “The Dual Enrollment Course-High School Subject Area Equivalency List”
2.
?
Clarified text that identifies the science and lab course codes
3.
?
Additional column that identifies and highlights courses offered or accepted by all institutions
as a general education requirement.
The dual enrollment course additions include postsecondary courses that count for 1.0 credit in
the high school subject areas of Math, Science, and English. The revision process reviewed all
lower-level SCNS courses with the same prefixes as those currently represented on the list. The
following indicators were requirements for a course to be added to the list:
a.
?
At least one institution offers the course as part of the general education requirement
and/or the course is in the
Common Prerequisites Manual
for at least one major;
b.
?
For math courses: All courses must be “at or above the level of College Algebra” (mir-
rors Gordon Rule requirement);
c.
?
For science courses: Must have an accompanying lab.
Courses that met the requirements were reviewed by the following characteristics:
•
?
An “Honors” version of an existing course on the approved list;
•
?
Courses considered “next in the standard sequence” of existing courses on the ap-
proved list;
•
?
Courses that met the “breadth test” for depth and scope of content, excluding courses
that are highly specific; and
•
?
Courses to receive 1.0 full high school credit rather than 0.5 high school credit, given
that all dual enrollment courses count as a minimum of 0.5 high school elective
credit.
Dual Enrollment – FASTER Transcript
Instruction and Student Advising
Page Six
July 24, 2007
The revised
Dual Enrollment Course-High School Subject Area Equivalency List
will be avail-
able on the Office of Articulation website, http://www.fldoe.org/articulation/ and FACTS.org,
under Advising Manuals.
5.
?
Can students select dual enrollment courses for credit required in high school Major Areas
of Interest?
Yes, currently Department of Education staff is preparing a technical assistance document that
advises districts to permit high school designees to approve appropriate dual enrollment courses
for credit in students’ Major Areas of Interest. High school counselors are encouraged to con-
tinue to advise students about dual enrollment opportunities for college and career credit that will
satisfy credits needed for a high school Major Area of Interest and meet postsecondary certificate
and degree requirements.
6.
?
Some high schools are not currently offering the “AA Degree” Major Area of Interest,
which contains dual enrollment courses that lead to an associate or baccalaureate degree.
Can high schools decline to offer the “AA Degree” Major Area of Interest?
All high schools are encouraged to offer the “AA Degree” Major Area of Interest, as an option for
eligible students. Section 1007.271(3), F.S., states that district school boards may not refuse to
enter into an agreement with a local community college, if the college has the capacity to offer
dual enrollment courses.
For further information on FASTER transcript instructions, please contact Pete Tanzy at
Pete.Tanzy@fldoe.org. For further information about the state’s dual enrollment program, please
contact Dr. Pamela Kerouac at Pamela.Kerouac@fldoe.org.
Thank you for all that you do for our students in Florida!
HRS/pka
c:
Dr. Pamela Kerouac
