Current through Register Vol. 35, No. 18, September 24, 2024
A. The agreement specifies the means by which
the state will provide equal opportunities to all public high school students
who wish to participate in the dual credit program.
B. LEAs and postsecondary institutions
providing dual credit programs shall complete the agreement and the LEA shall
submit the completed agreement to the public education department.
C. A completed agreement shall contain
signatures from all parties and includes an appendix developed collaboratively
by the LEA and postsecondary institution that specifies eligible dual credit
courses.
D. LEAs may complete
agreements with multiple postsecondary institutions.
E. A fully executed copy of each agreement
shall be submitted by the LEA to the public education department within 10 days
of approval.
F. The agreement:
(1) specifies eligible courses, academic
quality of dual credit courses, student eligibility, course approval, course
requirements, required content of the form, state reporting, liabilities of
parties, and student appeals; and
(2) states the roles, responsibilities, and
liabilities of the LEA, the postsecondary institution, student, and the
student's family.
G.
Duties and responsibilities of the postsecondary institution. The postsecondary
institution shall:
(1) designate a
representative to review and sign the completed form with the understanding
that only forms endorsed by all parties shall constitute a dual credit approval
request;
(2) determine, in
collaboration with the LEA, the required academic standing of each student
eligible to participate in the dual credit program;
(3) collaborate with the LEA to reach
agreement on admission and registration of eligible dual credit students for
the stated semester;
(4) employ a
method of qualifying the student for dual credit that demonstrates that the
student has the appropriate skills and maturity to benefit from the instruction
requested;
(5) provide advisement
to review the appropriateness of each student's enrollment in a course prior to
registration in terms of academic readiness, age requirements, and programmatic
issues;
(6) provide the form to
eligible students and appropriate LEA staff online and in hard copy;
(7) approve the form for each student on a
course-by-course basis each semester based on each student's prior coursework,
career pathway, or academic readiness;
(8) provide a copy of each approved form to
the appropriate LEA representative;
(9) provide course placement evaluation and
consider a high school college readiness assessment to verify a student's
academic skill level and to ensure compliance with course
prerequisites;
(10) provide
information and orientation, in collaboration with the LEA to the student and
parent or guardian regarding the responsibilities of dual credit enrollment
including academic rigor, time commitments, and behavioral expectations
associated with taking college courses and the importance of satisfactorily
completing the postsecondary institution credits attempted in order for dual
credit to be awarded;
(11) inform
students of course requirement information which includes course content,
grading policy, attendance requirements, course completion requirements,
performance standards, and other related course information;
(12) advise the parent or guardian of FERPA
rules;
(13) waive all general fees
for dual credit courses;
(14) waive
tuition for high school students taking dual credit courses;
(15) make every effort to adopt textbooks for
at least three years;
(16) provide
the LEA within the first thirty days of the academic term, access to each
student's official schedule of classes as verification of registration; the LEA
shall notify the postsecondary institution if the report is in conflict with
the school endorsed registration;
(17) track progress of dual credit enrolled
students on the issue of academic performance and provide reports, as needed,
to the LEA;
(18) retain the
official transcript or grade report of the dual credit student that records the
term of enrollment, courses/credits attempted, courses/credits completed,
grades and grade point average earned;
(19) release, at the request of the student,
official postsecondary institution transcripts in accordance with the
postsecondary institution's transcript request practices;
(20) provide final grades to the LEA for each
dual credit student;
(21) deliver
final grades for all dual credit students to the LEA with sufficient time to be
included with final grades; this schedule shall be defined by the parties in
the agreement and shall address the time frame appropriate for determining
student graduation from high school;
(22) comply with data collection and
reporting provisions in 6.30.7.12 NMAC;
(23) approve faculty for all dual credit
courses;
(24) retain educational
records in accordance with New Mexico statutes and record retention regulations
as per 1.20.3 NMAC;
(25) have a
student appeals process pertaining to student enrollment in dual credit
programs (postsecondary institution decisions are final); and
(26) have the right to appeal to the dual
credit council on issues related to implementing the dual credit program,
agreement, and rules.
H.
Duties and responsibilities of the LEA. The LEA shall:
(1) designate a representative to collaborate
with the postsecondary institution to reach agreement on admission and
registration of eligible dual credit students for the stated
semester;
(2) determine, in
collaboration with the postsecondary institution, the required academic
standing of each student eligible to participate in the dual credit
program;
(3) collaborate with the
postsecondary institution to reach agreement on admission and registration of
eligible dual credit students for the stated semester;
(4) employ a method of qualifying the student
for dual credit based on factors which may include academic performance review,
use of next step plan, assessments, advisement and career guidance, and
therefore recommend enrollment at the postsecondary institution with evidence
that the student has the appropriate skills and maturity to benefit from the
instruction requested;
(5) provide
information and orientation to students about opportunities to participate in
dual credit programs during student advisement, academic support, and
formulation of annual next step plans;
(6) provide the form to eligible students and
appropriate LEA staff online and in hard copy;
(7) approve the form for each student on a
course-by-course basis each semester based on each student's prior coursework,
career pathway, or academic readiness;
(8) provide information and orientation, in
collaboration with the postsecondary institution, to the student and student's
family regarding the responsibilities of dual credit enrollment including
academic rigor, time commitments, and behavioral expectations associated with
taking college courses and the importance of satisfactorily completing the
college credits attempted in order for dual credit to be awarded;
(9) inform students of course requirement
information which includes course content, grading policy, attendance
requirements, course completion requirements, performance standards, and other
related course information;
(10)
notify the postsecondary institution if the student's official schedule of
classes is in conflict with the school endorsed registration;
(11) provide appropriate accommodations and
services for special education students while the students are enrolled in dual
credit classes, including academic adjustments and auxiliary aids and services
for eligible students across educational activities and settings (e.g.
equipping school computers with screen-reading, voice recognition or other
adaptive hardware or software and providing note-takers, recording devices, or
sign language interpreters, or other adaptation as required by law);
(12) inform students in need of
accommodations or other arrangements of the need to speak directly with the
disabilities coordinator at the postsecondary institution;
(13) work collaboratively with the
postsecondary institution to submit a student's request for change in
registration according to postsecondary institution policies and within
officially published deadlines;
(14) make it clear to students that if they
fail or withdraw from dual credit classes that they were intending to use to
substitute for a high school requirement that they will have to make up those
credits in order to graduate; the dual credit course grade will appear on the
student high school transcript;
(15) pay the cost of the required textbooks
and other course supplies for the postsecondary course the dual credit student
is enrolled in through purchase arrangements with the bookstore at the
postsecondary institution or other cost-efficient methods;
(16) collaborate with the postsecondary
institution to offer dual credit courses at the high school site according to
LEA site time blocks;
(17) furnish
an official high school transcript to the postsecondary institution if required
by the postsecondary institution;
(18) record, unchanged, the grade given to
the dual credit student by the postsecondary institution on each student high
school transcript;
(19) retain
educational records in accordance with New Mexico statutes and record retention
regulations as per 1.20.2 NMAC;
(20) comply with data collection and
reporting provisions in 6.30.7.12 NMAC;
(21) have a student appeals process
pertaining to student enrollment in dual credit programs LEA decisions are
final); and
(22) have the right to
appeal to the dual credit council on issues related to implementing the dual
credit program, agreement, and rules.
I. Duties and responsibilities of the
student. The student shall:
(1) qualify for
dual credit courses offered in the fall, winter and summer by:
(a) being enrolled during the fall and winter
in a LEA in one-half or more of the minimum course requirements approved by the
New Mexico public education department for public school students under its
jurisdiction or by being in physical attendance at a bureau of Indian
education-funded high school at least three documented contact hours per day
pursuant to
25
CFR 39.211(c);
(b) obtaining permission from the LEA
representative (in consultation with the student's individualized education
program team, as needed), the student's parent or guardian, and postsecondary
institution representative through a fully executed form prior to enrolling in
a dual credit course; and
(c)
meeting postsecondary institution requirements to enroll as a dual credit
student;
(2) discuss
potential dual credit courses with the appropriate LEAs and postsecondary
institution staff, including postsecondary institution admission and
registration requirements, course requirements, credits to be attempted,
credits to be awarded, scheduling under dual credit, and implications for
failure to successfully complete the course;
(3) obtain course requirements for each
course, including course prerequisites, course content, grading policy,
attendance requirements, course completion requirements, performance standards,
and other related course information;
(4) meet the prerequisites and requirements
of the course(s) to be taken;
(5)
complete the form available online or in hard copy from the LEA or
postsecondary institution;
(6)
obtain approval for enrolling in the dual credit program each semester by
acquiring all necessary signatures on the form;
(7) register for courses during the
postsecondary institution's standard registration periods (note: enrollments
shall not be permitted after the close of posted late registration);
(8) discuss any request for a change in
registration (add, drop, withdrawal) and complete all necessary forms and
procedures with appropriate LEA and postsecondary institution staff;
(9) comply with the LEA and postsecondary
institution student code of conduct and other institutional policies;
(10) have rights and privileges that include:
(a) the rights and privileges equal to those
extended to LEA and postsecondary institution students, unless otherwise
excluded by any section of this agreement;
(b) use of the postsecondary institution
library, course-related labs and other instructional facilities, use of the
postsecondary institution programs and services such as counseling, tutoring,
advising, and special services for the students with disabilities, and access
to postsecondary institution personnel and resources as required; and
(c) the right to appeal, in writing to the
LEA or postsecondary institution, as applicable, any decision pertaining to
enrollment in the dual credit program;
(11) return the textbooks and unused course
supplies to the LEA when the student completes the course or withdraws from the
course (subject to provisions in Subsection B of Section
22-15-10
NMSA 1978 regarding lost or damaged instructional material);
(12) arrange transportation to the site of
the dual credit course; depending upon the time and course location, the
student may have access to transportation through the LEA if the dual credit
course is offered during the school day;
(13) be responsible for course-specific (e.g.
lab, computer) fees;
(14) allow
educational records to be retained and disseminated in accordance with the
requirements of the FERPA;
(15)
sign the FERPA release form, along with student parent or guardian, if
applicable, in order to participate in dual credit courses; and
(16) abide by regular operating calendars,
schedules and associated requirements of both the LEA and postsecondary
institution; in instances in which the calendars are incongruent, the student
is required to independently satisfy both calendar requirements and may consult
with LEA counselors for assistance.