Sophomores get chance at dual-credit courses

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High school sophomores now have the chance to join their junior and senior schoolmates in taking advantage of dual-credit courses — classes taken in high school that follow a college-level curriculum.

Previously restricted to juniors and seniors, the courses were recently made available to sophomores by the State Board of Higher Education.

Generally, the credits are good at any North Dakota University System school, but sometimes will only transfer as general credit and not as a required class, Dickinson High School Guidance Counselor Maxine Hauck said. For example, a math class taken as dual-credit in high school will transfer and count toward total credits for graduation, but the student may have to take the university’s class to fulfill his or her math requirement.

“Students do need to be careful about contacting whichever school they’re planning to attend, even in state, to make sure that the class is substituting for what they want it to at the college level,” she said. “Because sometimes the dual-credit will count for an elective, but it won’t count for a specific subject area.”

Costs for a dual-credit course vary by college. At Dickinson State University, the cost is $199 per credit and most courses are three credits, according to the school’s website. Participating area schools are Beach, Belfield, Beulah, Bowman, Dickinson, Glen Ullin, Halliday, Hettinger, Killdeer, Mott/Regent, New England, Richardton/Taylor, Scranton, South Heart, Trinity and Watford City.

“The student enrolls in the college course, gets both high school and college credit, but it is the student’s responsibility to fund it,” said Connie Mittleider, director of teacher and school effectiveness for the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction.

There is a need-based tuition reimbursement program through the Bank of North Dakota, she said.

“The department works closely with the university system to ensure we do have a valid, rigorous policy for this,” Mittleider said.

Fifty to 60 students are taking dual-credit courses at Dickinson High School this semester, Principal Ron Dockter said. Some will have a semester-plus of college complete through dual-credit by the time they graduate high school, he said.

“We have a number of students that will go into their freshman year of college having up to 12 or more semester hours already of college credit,” he said.

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