Tuesday, January 6, 2015

High School: Concurrent Enrollment in Community College


As requested, here is a description of the process we went through to enroll our oldest daughter in College of the Sequoias classes as a homeschooled high school student.

Note:  To even begin the process, the student needs a social security number (click here for info) and a state-issued ID card, available at the DMV.  (link: getting an ID card in California)

The first two steps can basically be done at the same time.  You need to complete the online COS admissions application for your student, (CCCApply click here) and fill out and turn in the Concurrent High School Permission Form.  (click here for PDF).
The permission form asks what classes student is eligible for -- I just covered all bases possible, stating "course not offered" as a reason.

As a homeschooler, with the permission form you will also need to turn in a copy of your homeschool affidavit and a high school transcript for your student showing a GPA of 3.0 or higher.  In all honesty, I don't use grades in my homeschool and, if I did, nothing would be less than an A because I would make my children re-do things until it was A work -- but I found some good templates on line to create a transcript.  This is my favorite (click here).

Once the admission process is complete, your student must use his/her COS ID number to take the math and English placement tests on campus (info here).  Assuming nothing has changed in two years, the English is a computerized test that takes students as far as their knowledge goes and then tells you what class they belong in.  The fact that my daughter tested out of the early college English classes has been very convenient because many other classes have English I as a prerequisite.  For math, you can choose to take a pre-algebra test or an algebra I test.  If your student passes, they may take the next math classes in the sequence.  My daughter took the pre-algebra test and has now completed Algebra I and II at COS. (math was/is the primary reason to kick her out of the house!)

When these things are completed, your student will be able to register -- AFTER everyone else and their brother's cousin's dog has registered.  This is the big disadvantage of being a concurrent high school student.  However, the trade-off is that the fees are waived by the state for the first 6 credits.  Every semester, I am tempted to haul my daughter off to take the CHSPE or the GED so she could register along with everyone else... but then those credit dollars... you can see the conflict...

Something that we didn't realize the first semester, however, is that "crashing" classes is acceptable and expected.  My daughter has gotten into every class she was wait-listed for simply by showing up the first day and getting an add code from the teacher.  Some classes have not even been open for waiting list by the time she could register, but it has worked out well when they are.

I'm often asked by other parents if I have worried about my 15-now 16-year old in the environment with older students.  This has really not been a concern for me.  I feel that education at home has prepared her better for life in the "real world" where there are many age/culture/values differences than anything else could have.  She approaches life with a bit of healthy cynicism and isn't easily swayed.  Perhaps if our home environment were less open and more cautious I would have been concerned, but halfway through the second year of this I am still feeling confident. 

Link to the COS Concurrent HS Student Page

Good luck!  Ask any questions you have in the comments below and I will try to answer!

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