Dual Credit Programs

Dual Credit Programs

Northshore is proud to offer high school students a number of Dual-Credit course options. Dual Credit programs allow students to take rigorous college-level courses while still in high school. Students may become eligible for the awarding of college credit based on scores obtained in the year-end examinations and/or through taking college-level classes either in their high school or at colleges and universities. In addition, the Washington Student Achievement Council provided a 2017 comparison of dual credit programs in Washington State. Click on the link Dual Credit Programs Comparison to view this chart.

There are two (2) distinct levels of Dual Credit Programs offered in the Northshore School District; 1) Programs Allowing Dual Credit Through College Course Enrollment and 2) Programs Allowing Dual Credit Through Standardized Examinations. Below is a description of each program:

Programs Allowing Dual Credit Through College Course Enrollment

  • CTE Dual Credit: The CTE Dual Credit program helps students transition from high school into post-secondary professional technical programs. CTE Dual Credit is a cooperative effort between K-12 schools, community and technical colleges, and the business community to develop applied, integrated academic and technical programs. Courses are taught by high school teachers, at the high school. Students do not pay tuition but may be required to pay a registration fee. The program emphasizes strong academic, technical, problem-solving, and critical-thinking skills. For more information about CTE Dual Credit, visit Pacific Northwest College Credit website and speak to your teacher or school career specialist.
  • College In The High School:  College in the High School (CiHS) programs provide college-level academic courses to 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students. Courses are taught at the high school by high school teachers with college curriculum, college textbooks, and oversight by college faculty and staff. These are courses that carry a “(C)” designation after the course title. Students pay tuition and some state subsidies are available for rural and small schools and for low-income students. All students, whether they have paid for the CHS credit or not, received the same course code on their transcripts. For more information about College In The High School, visit the website OSPI Dual Credit Programs and speak with your students school counselor.
    • *IMPORTANT*: When schools offer different course credit options within a class, school districts must delineate course titles that align with the college or program being offered and students must choose whether they want to take a College in the High School (CHS) or Advanced Placement (AP) course option when enrolling for a dual credit course. A student cannot receive credit for both AP and CHS simultaneously, nor can a student sign up for AP and change to CHS credit later. Specific to CHS, students who register and pay for the college credit will have the college course title on their transcripts. Students who do not pay for college credit will receive a standard course title on their transcripts. If a student attends a CHS class yet does not register and pay for the college course option, college admissions may not recognize that the course was taken at college-level rigor. However, this course will still be recognized by our school district as meeting rigorous course expectations for high school graduation. Our district requires that students “successfully complete two AP, IB, College in the High School, Tech Prep, and/or Running Start courses unless an alternative course of study is identified through the student’s High School and Beyond Plan. ”For students choosing the AP course option, their transcripts will reflect the specific AP title and code designated for the AP program. Students may earn college credit through the AP exams in the spring.
  • Running Start:  Washington's Running Start program allows 11th and 12th grade students to take college courses at Washington’s community and technical colleges and at Central Washington University, Eastern Washington University, Washington State University, and Northwest Indian College. Running Start courses are regular college courses offered on the college campus. Students pay no tuition. However, they do pay for transportation, books, and fees. For more information about Running Start, click on this link Running Start In The Northshore School District for an entire list of dual credit courses offered through Running Start and speak with your students school counselor.

Programs Allowing Dual Credit Through Standardized Examinations

  • Advanced Placement (AP):  Advanced Placement (AP) programs enable students to take rigorous high school courses, taught by high school teachers, at the high school. Upon completion of the course, students may take a standardized exam. Depending on how they score, they may earn college credit. Colleges award varying levels of credit based on exam scores. Use the online Dual Credit Look-Up Tool to determine which colleges grant credit for which exams and scores. Students do not pay tuition, but do pay fees for the final standardized exams. Fee waivers may be available for lower-income students, if funding is available. For more information on Advanced Placement, please speak with your students school counselor and visit the Collegeboard website. Other information to note when considering Advanced Placement:
    • These are courses with titles as determined by the College Board, an agency that sets AP course standards that are the same nationwide.
    • The AP course title will appear on the transcript for students who registered for the course as AP. In some cases, AP classes may be available under a CHS course title for students who prefer to earn college credit at the sponsoring university. Those students will not have an AP course title on their transcripts but rather the CHS course title.
    • Any student (including those who took the course for CHS credit, if offered) may choose to pay to take the corresponding AP exam in May. But admissions officers won’t see the AP course title on the transcript of students taking the class as CHS, even if those students take the AP exam.
    • Some colleges and universities will grant college credit for AP courses if students score in a particular range on the AP exam. College admissions departments can provide that information.
  • International Baccalaureate (IB):  the International Baccalaureate (IB) program enables students to take rigorous high school courses, taught by high school teachers, at the high school. Upon completion of the course, students may take a standardized exam. Depending on how they score, they may earn college credit. Colleges award varying levels of credit based on exam scores. Use the online Dual Credit Look-Up Tool to determine which colleges grant credit for which exams and scores. Students do not pay tuition, but do pay fees for the final standardized exams. Fee waivers may be available for lower-income students, if funding is available. For more information on International Baccalaureate, please speak with your students school counselor and visit the website www.ibo.org and Inglemoor High School IB Program