Advanced Credit Program Policies

Advanced Credit Program Policies

1. Mission Statement
2. Student Eligibility
3. Student Enrollment
4. Qualifying Instructors
5. Maintaining Adjunct Status
6. Liaison Responsibilities
7. Policy on Assessment of Student Performance
8. Policy on Transferability of Credit

Mission Statement

The mission of the Advanced Credit Program (ACP) is to create partnerships linking the University of Missouri - St. Louis to high schools in the metropolitan St. Louis area in order  to enable eligible high school students to take high-quality, undergraduate division college courses on their high school campus.

Policy on Student Eligibility

High school juniors and seniors with a 3.0 or higher cumulative GPA (on a 4.0 scale) may enroll in Advanced Credit courses. Juniors and seniors with GPA's between 2.5 and 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) may also enroll if they provide a signed letter of recommendation from their principal or guidance counselor as well as written permission from a parent or legal guardian. 

Sophomores with cumulative GPA's of 3.0 or higher may also enroll in ACP courses if they provide a signed letter of recommendation from their principal or guidance counselor as well as written permission from a parent or legal guardian.

Freshman can enroll in ACP courses if they have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher (on a 4.0 scale), and have scored at or above the 90th percentile on the ACT or SAT, and provide a signed letter of recommendation from their principal or guidance counselor as well as written permission from a parent or legal guardian. 

The signature (electronic or hard copy) of a high school counselor or principal will be required to verify eligibility (class year and GPA) for all students. 

Policy on Student Enrollment

In the Advanced Credit Program, course content and course requirements in the high school will be equivalent to those utilized in the on-campus courses with the same titles.

According to MDHE Dual Credit Policy, Advanced Credit courses may enroll a mixed population (students taking the course for dual credit and high school credit and students taking the course for high school credit only). However, course requirements will be the same for all students. Students taking the course for dual credit must meet eligibility requirements as described above.

Students in Advanced Credit courses must adhere to dates comparable to those specified on campus for registration, drop, withdrawal, fee payment and refund. A schedule of dates will be distributed prior to registration.

Dropping/Adding Courses: 

Students who do not pay fees by the specified dates will be dropped. The drop date will appear on the yearly schedule of important dates posted on the Advanced Credit Program website. Students may not be added to a course after the registration deadline. 
     

Exceptions

Occasionally, the drop deadline and the deadline for payment may not align.  In those cases students will be notified to alert them to the official drop date for non-payment and subsequently, all students who have not paid will be dropped.

Exceptions to the drop deadline may be made at the discretion of the director according to MDHE Dual Credit Policy.   

Withdrawal after Classes Begin: Registered students may withdraw from an Advanced Credit course by completing the drop form and returning it to the Advanced Credit Program office at UMSL. Students who registered and paid fees prior to withdrawal are eligible for an assessed refund, which may vary in accordance with the date of withdrawal.

Student Records/Transcript: The registrar will furnish transcripts of credit to a student upon written request. There is a small fee per each transcript requested. Transcripts are not issued to or for students who have financial obligations to the university until those obligations are paid in full.

Student Support Service: Students in the Advanced Credit Program are issued temporary UMSL student identification cards, which are valid while they are enrolled in an Advanced Credit course. The identification cards may be used to access library resources at UMSL, attend sporting events, receive discounts to theatre productions, etc.

Policy for Qualifying Instructors

In keeping with our on-campus practice, the application process requires submission of a current resume and all college transcripts (unofficial copies are allowed).  Once all application materials are received, the process is as follows:

• The ACP director forwards the instructor's application to the approving and hiring authority who is either the academic department head or their designee for review and appropriate action.
• If the instructor's credentials meet the qualifications (at least a master's degree in the subject area or a master's in a related field with at least 18 graduate hours in the subject area), a liaison is then assigned. If they do not, the instructor is notified and told what steps would be necessary to meet the qualifications.
• The liaison will then schedule an interview and/or classroom observations
• During the interview and/or observation, the liaison will share information regarding course pedagogical, theoretical, and philosophical orientation. Course syllabi are shared, and candidates are given an overview of expectations and requirements for that course.
• The liaison makes a final recommendation for approval or denial to the ACP director and department chair.
• With final approval, the ACP director sends the new instructor a letter of acceptance and a certificate signed by the Provost.  If the instructor is not approved, a denial letter is sent to the applicant with reasons as to why they do not meet approval.
• All new teachers must also attend a New Teacher Orientation session before the course is officially entered onto the schedule.
• Prior to the start of the semester, new instructors are asked to complete an HR form, which is required by Human Resources.

Policy on Maintaining Adjunct Status

ACP adjunct instructors are required to adhere to the following expectations: 

• To create, maintain and provide their ACP liaison with an approved syllabus each semester that a course is offered.
• Communicate and cooperate with their ACP liaison in order to facilitate classroom observations.
• Provide an up to date copy of an assessment tool each semester that a course is offered.
• Verify course rosters in a timely fashion.
• Submit grades no later than two weeks after the last class meeting.
• Facilitate completion of online course evaluations provided by the ACP.
• Attend at least one ACP approved professional development seminar, workshop or conference in order to remain current on content specific issues, UMSL and ACP policies and protocols per academic year.  

Non-compliance with any ACP adjunct expectations may result in the ACP instructor forfeiting their approval status. A first offense may require a meeting with the ACP director, ACP liaison, and/or the high school representative to discuss the issue and to provide necessary support or resources to meet the required expectations. If non-compliance continues, the adjunct will lose their approved status to offer dual credit courses. 

Liaison Responsibilities 

In accordance with the Missouri Department of Higher Education Guidelines, on-campus faculty in the appropriate and corresponding discipline are responsible for ensuring that dual credit course content and course requirements are comparable to on-campus courses with the same titles. Liaisons are selected for their positions in consultation with the corresponding department chair, Dean of the appropriate college, and the Director of the Advanced Credit Program.

In general, comparability between the dual credit course taught in the high school and the corresponding course taught on campus should be demonstrated by using an approved syllabus and similar methods of assessment that have been approved and supervised by the appropriate faculty on campus.

The following are the responsibilities of faculty liaisons at UMSL:

• Review teacher credentials and provide written determination regarding teacher qualifications to the ACP Director to be held on file in ACP office
• Provide on-campus orientation for new instructors
• Evaluate and approve course syllabi and textbook(s)
• Ensure that course content and course requirements are comparable to on-campus courses of the same title
• Evaluate assessment tools used in dual credit courses to ensure their alignment with on-campus courses
• Collect and review copies of approved course syllabi and assessment tools annually to be held on file in ACP office
• Collect and review copies of student work as evidence of college level performance to be held on file in ACP office
• Classroom observations are conducted with new instructors once a year for the first two years and a minimum of once every two years for all other instructors. Observations are used to ensure consistency with on campus course and to development and maintain collegial interaction between on campus and ACP instructors.
• Review summary reports of student course evaluations.
• Offer and/or participate in on-campus faculty development activities/workshops for dual credit high school teachers
• Attend and participate in all UMSL sponsored high school dual credit activities
• Meet annually with the ACP director

Liaisons will be assessed on their performance in fulfilling these responsibilities as part of an annual evaluation.

Policy on Assessment of Student Performance

Dual credit providers will provide similar assessments of student learning outcomes as those required in the on-campus course.  Assurance of quality and comparability of dual credit courses and assessments resides with UMSL faculty liaisons in the appropriate academic discipline. In general, comparability between the dual credit course taught in the high school and the corresponding course taught on the college campus should be demonstrated by using similar methods of assessment or identical testing procedures, which will be reviewed by the appropriate UMSL faculty.

Policy on Transferability of Credit

College credit earned through ACP courses offered in high schools will be applicable toward associate and/or baccalaureate degree requirements and will be eligible for transfer. Students’ rights and responsibilities are outlined in the CBHE’s Credit Transfer Guidelines.