Program Guide. OnlineCollegeintheHighSchool.org

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About Online College in the High School

Online College in the High School (OCHS) is a Distance Minnesota program that offers college transfer, career and technical courses to high school students through a distance learning format. Students receive high school credit and college credit at the same time. Students do not have to travel to campus, as the colleges serve them online in the high school setting.

Online courses are taught by Alexandria Technical and Community College, Northland Community and Technical College and Northwest Technical College.

Special Features

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Success Highlights

Students participating in Online College in the High School (OCHS) have outstanding results at the college level.

Grades

OCHS students have an average course GPA of 3.27 Completion and Success Rates

The OCHS program has outstanding completion (98%) and retention (93%) rates. Participation

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OCHS Contacts

OCHS Support Center

Shawnette Newhouse and Nicole Seifert [email protected]

1-866-466-6217

Distance Learning Coordinators

Freshwater Education District Sue Boehland

[email protected] 218-894-2439 ext. 150

Lakes Country Service Cooperative Troy Haugen

[email protected] 218-737-6511

North Country Consortia Jim Wheeler

218-755-4594

Pine to Prairie Cooperative Center Murray Turner

Runestone Area Partnership Carrie Hanson

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Student Eligibility

Students applying to OCHS must (1) have an adequate grade point average OR class rank and (2) achieve college level assessment scores. Students must maintain an acceptable GPA to register for future term courses. High school principals or

superintendents can request enrollment permission for students who do not meet the eligibility requirements; submission of supporting documentation is required.

New Students

Grade Point Average (GPA) and Class Rank

The high school transcript for the student must list a cumulative GPA that is at or above the minimum level for the student high school grade level.

• Senior (12th grade): A student who will participate as a senior must have at least a 2.8 cumulative GPA OR be in the upper one-half of their class.

• Junior (11th grade): A student who will participate as a junior must have at least a 3.2 cumulative GPA OR be in the upper one-third of their class.

• Sophomore (10th Grade): A student who will participate as a sophomore must have at least a 3.2 GPA. Note: Eligible 10th grade students will be allowed to enroll in one Career and Technical Education (CTE) course provided they meet specific course requirements and pre-requisites. In addition, sophomores must successfully complete the online orientation workshop.

College Level Assessment Scores

The student must complete an ACCUPLACER or ACT assessment and achieve scores that are at or above the minimum level.

• Senior (12th grade): A student who will participate as a senior must score at or above the 50th percentile on a nationally standardized, norm-referenced test. • Junior (11th grade): A student who will participate as a junior must score at

or above the 70th percentile on a nationally standardized, norm-referenced test. • Sophomore (10th Grade): A student who will participate as a sophomore

must score at or above the 70th percentile on a nationally standardized, norm-referenced test.

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• Minimum ACCUPLACER Scores: Reading Comprehension score of 78. Note: Students enrolling into a math course or a course with a math pre-requisite must attain an Elementary Algebra score of at least 85, OR an

Elementary Algebra score of at least 78 and a College Level Mathematics score of at least 50.

• Minimum ACT Scores: Reading sub score of 21.

Note: Students enrolling into a math course or a course with a math pre-requisite must attain a Math sub score of at least 22.

• Extenuating Circumstances: A student may retest once annually. When determining student admission, college administration will consider extraordinary circumstances upon the recommendation of the high school administration. Students are encouraged to complete free refresher materials that are available online.

Returning Students

All registrations for students are contingent on previous semester grades/GPA. Students will be registered when high school rosters are received and grades will be reviewed at end of term. If a student does not meet the GPA criteria, that student will be removed from their registered course(s) and the proctor will be notified by the OCHS support center.

Appeal for Enrollment Permission

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High School Responsibilities

High schools with students participating in OCHS coursework are responsible for: • Providing students with an instructional period for each online course enrolled

with access to a networked computer

• Making a proctor available during the instructional period for the duration of the course

• Training of the proctor (as delivered by the OCHS support team) • Paying the contracted tuition

• Purchasing and providing required textbooks and course materials • Facilitating and completing the registration of participating students

OCHS Course Costs

A cost per seat is calculated by dividing the overall program tuition by the overall OCHS enrollment. The higher the number of students enrolled in courses, the lower the cost per seat is to participating districts. High schools are guaranteed a credit rate below $178. In recent years, the average cost for a 3 credit class was $387 or $129 per credit.

This rate is far below the state's current standard PSEO tuition rate of $189.76 per credit. As the program

grows, we anticipate the cost per seat to stay extremely competitive.

New Proctor Orientation

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Application and Registration Process for Enrolling Students

Participating school districts are required to submit annually a signed

memorandum of agreement for the Online College in the High School program. The memorandum outlines the fee structure and

educational requirements.

Enrolling Students

Beginning the fourth (4th_{) Monday of January,} registration for the upcoming academic year (both fall and spring semester) opens for participating districts.

To enroll interested students, the assigned proctor will:

1. Review available courses for the upcoming academic year

2. Complete a Student Enrollment Roster (see page 11-12) with student information and first, second and third choices of coursework for each student

3. Fax or mail the Student Enrollment Roster along with current high school

transcripts and signed Concurrent Enrollment Forms (see pages 14-15) for each student to the OCHS Support Center

4. Prepare to administer ACCUPLACER assessment to students as needed Courses fill quickly, so early application and submission of required materials is encouraged to allow students the best course selection.

Staff at the OCHS Support Center work closely with proctors to assist with course selection, assess student eligibility and register students for courses.

Course Offerings

Available courses for an upcoming academic year are published online before the fourth (4th_{) Monday in January each year. Course offerings are subject to adequate}

enrollment. To view available courses (along with course descriptions), visit courses.onlinecollegeinthehighschool.org.

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Resources for OCHS Students

Online Orientation Workshop

Students new to OCHS coursework have the opportunity to participate in a free online orientation workshop. Designed to give students the skills needed to be successful online learning, new students will be enrolled in the orientation prior to beginning their first semester of OCHS coursework.

Learning Resources

Students enrolled in OCHS coursework are officially registered students of Alexandria Technical and Community College, Northland Community and Technical College or Northwest Technical College. As such, students have access to the same services as other online and on-campus students, including:

• Online library services

• Tutoring and learning resources • Disability services

• Career counseling

• Degree planning advising

If a student has a special need for their OCHS course, please connect with the OCHS Support Center to learn about getting access to special resources.

Student Resource Center

OCHS students have a special resource center with tips and links to help them be successful in their online college courses. Visit onlinecollegeinthehighschool.org and click on “Student Center” to view available resources.

Student Handbook

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Grading OCHS Students

College faculty are required to submit final course grades within one week of the term end date. Students can view official final grades in their eServices account as soon as they are posted.

Unofficial transcripts with final grades are sent to participating districts via U.S. Mail within two weeks of the term end date. The OCHS Support Center does their best to get spring grades out as soon as possible to meet high school graduation requirements. Special requests for grades may be sent via fax at the request of high school

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