Dual Credit and the IEP

The last I heard, the Dual Credit program would continue to be limited to 100-level classes. However, if a student has an IEP, that student would not be limited as to what classes would be available for dual credit.

If you are not familiar with an IEP (Individualized Education Program), it is part of the Special Education program. In New Mexico, that program includes kids from both ends of the intellectual spectrum. 

Another thing an IEP offers is CLOUT. If it is in that IEP, then the school better be paying attention to it.

So now the bottom line seems to be that kids with IEPs have no restrictions, while the other 80% of the students will continue to be limited to whatever 100-level courses are on the list approved by Cloudcroft.

How does this set with the parents of students that don't have IEPs?

Dual Credit

My first experience with Dual Credit came when my daughter wanted to take a class at NMSUA this summer. What I came to learn about the Dual Credit program was:

• The dual credit program would allow a student to take a college class and receive both college credit and credit for 1 elective at the High School level
• The University waives the tuition costs, CMS picks up the tab for books and "supplies", and the parents/students are responsible for transportation and course-specific fees.
  
• CMS has a list of courses that it will approve for dual credit. This list contains only some of the 100-level courses that are offered by the University (while Alamogordo HS has no limitations as to what courses it will approve).
• There are no written criteria for how a course is deemed to be acceptable for the Cloudcroft list
  
• Cloudcroft defines entry-level courses as 100-level, while the University has several entry level courses that are 200-level
• The legislature has funded the program, but the bill that would outline how those funds are to be dispersed did not pass the state senate. The funds still have not been dispursed to the schools
• Future funding will be based upon the number of students who participated in the program the prior year
• Probably fewer than 10 Cloudcroft students took advantage of the dual credit program this past school year