High School College Credit Plus
Program Description
In order to give Ohio high school students the opportunity to pursue higher education and reduce the cost of doing so, the Ohio Department of Education, Ohio Board of Regents and the Ohio legislature have worked together and created the College Credit Plus program. This program will combine the previous Post Secondary Enrollment Option and Dual Enrollment programs and will include Tech Prep.
BGSU Firelands College Credit Plus program gives college-bound high school students the opportunity to earn college credit and high school credit simultaneously. This gives students the advantage of starting the transition to college early, while reducing the cost and length of time to receive a degree. They will have already received on-transcript college credit.
Recommended courses include 1000-2000 level BG Perspective (General Education) courses in Natural and Social Sciences, and Humanities along with General Studies Writing and Math. These courses are listed in the BGSU catalog and are available to CCP students at scheduled class times on campus and some are also available online or through web-based delivery. Some high schools may also offer these courses on the high school campus. The BGSU catalog can be found at www.bgsu.edu/catalog.html
Courses you are permitted to take
- Ohio legislation requires students complete 15 credit hours of Level 1 courses before continuing to Level 2 courses. Further description of allowable courses can be found out Course Eligibility.
- BGSU courses found on the Ohio Transfer Model and CTAG are approved Level 1 courses: www.ohiohighered.org/Ohio-Transfer-36
- Many CCP students enroll in BG Perspective, or general education, classes (as long as pre-requisites have been met) to complete the 15 hours of Level 1 course work. Exceptions may be made outside of the BG Perspectives and OTM approved courses is a class is fulfilling a 15 hour pathway or 30 hour pathway established by the high school
- CCP students may take classes that are open, provided all course prerequisites are met.
- Students interested in Music Performance should contact the Coordinator of Music Admissions at 419-372-8577 for information about auditions and placement.
Courses you are not permitted to take
- You cannot take remedial classes.
- Certain courses are reserved for specific student populations; these are identified by including a letter at the end of the course number (example; SOC 1010A or SOC 1010H).
- Sectarian religion courses
- Physical Education courses
- Study Abroad
- Individual Music Lessons
To maximize accessibility, convenience and scheduling flexibility, courses can be taken three different ways.
- On Campus: Class is taken on BGSU Firelands Campus or on-line/web-based (formerly PSEOP)
- Dual Enrollment:
- Class is offered on High School Campus using qualified high school teacher to deliver/facilitate the course
- 100% Online/Web-based - Synchronous at approved high school sites (Set time and day during high school schedule using high school teacher as facilitator)
- Tech Prep: Prescribed college courses taken at EHOVE or Sandusky High School
- Self Pay: Student can enroll in summer course and count the class for high school credit.
- There is no cost to the student or families for course and instructional materials
- All students are assigned an Academic Advisor who has the responsibility to ensure that the student has someone with whom they can meet and confer to receive guidance regarding career counseling, scheduling, advising, and college degree pathway requirements.
- All College Credit Plus students are considered BGSU guest students and have access to many benefits and student support services such as campus programs, free tutoring and library services.
- Credits earned can be applied toward an Associate or Bachelor’s degree.
- All students have access to their instructors via email; or telephone and in-person during posted scheduled office hours
- Applicants must submit a copy of the high school transcript (guidance counselor usually sends it to the college access office)
- Applicants must take and score college-ready on a placement test administered by the college or submit most recent ACT scores (they may also be listed on the high school transcript). ACT scores are then used to determine if student is college-ready.
- Applicants must pass all end of course exams administered by the high school.
- Students applying for the fall term should apply by the Friday of the national tax deadline closest to April 15. Those applying for the spring term should apply by Friday following Veteran’s Day.
- Students will schedule their placement testing on their own by calling 419-433-5560 X20766 (8AM-Noon) or X20841 (Noon-5PM) Placement testing should be done by mid- April for fall and late November for spring.
- Students will be notified of acceptance by late April/early May for fall and mid- December for spring.
- Students will use instructions sent in acceptance letters to create their BGSU account that will be used for registering classes.
- Students will also be informed in the acceptance letter about orientation meeting requirements.
- Students will make advising appointments to register for classes on-campus or guidance counselor will send list of students to be registered for courses held at satellite high school sites by late May/early June.
- Tech Prep registrations will be done by program and students will be registered by mid-June by BGSU Firelands staff.
- Students will be responsible for checking e-mail and logging onto their MyBGSU account during the break period to check for important announcements or updates.
Are you ready for college?
At BGSU Firelands, there are many supports available to help you succeed in college, from free tutoring, an advising staff to help you choose a schedule, accessibility services for help in navigating learning challenges, technology support, as well as a faculty that values teaching and learning as their central mission. The transition from high school to college, however, is a real one. If you are currently a high school student considering the College Credit Plus program- THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR WHAT YOU DO AND DON’T DO SHIFTS TO YOU. TIME MANAGEMENT AND INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILTY
Time management and individual responsibility
| High School | College |
| Your choice of classes and scheduling options are limited. | Although you will arrange your schedule in consultation with an advisor, the choice over how many classes to take and how to arrange your schedule is up to you and will require that you make active choices. |
| You are moving from one class to another throughout the day and do not have much free time in between. | If you are in college full-time, you will generally spend only around 12 to 16 hours a week in class and there can often be a number of hours in between classes. |
| Most of your study activity happens IN class. | In college, you are expected to study 2-3 hours outside of class for every in-class hour. Don’t overschedule yourself. |
| You need permission to participate in extracurricular activities. | You will need to make active choices about whether to participate in extracurricular activities and to what degree. |
| Your school schedule is set and restricts the number of hours you work. | You will need to make active choices about what makes a reasonable job to school ratio. |
| Your performance is constantly monitored by teachers and they reach out to you to give you reminders to study or come in for help. | You will need to actively monitor how you are doing in class and to assess whether or not you need extra assistance with course content. There are many supports available to help you succeed, but you are expected to initiate that help. |
| Teachers help you before, during or after the class period. | Professors have office hours to help you outside of class (or you can ask for another meeting time). Make use of office hours and make use of the Teaching and Learning Center if you want further tutoring. |
| The high school has policies set in place for the classes. | You will need to familiarize yourself with the policies in place for every course you take. Every class has a SYLLABUS that outlines everything you need to know about how the class runs—from what is covered along with assigned readings to makeup policies to when office hours take place to what will make up your grade. |
| High School | College |
| Attendance is mandatory and regularly monitored. | Understand the policy in each of your courses for attendance and participation. You are responsible for the impact of your choices on your final grade. |
| Your school provides all the required materials and technology for your classes. | You will need to arrange to have access to the required materials in your course, including technology. Technology Support can help you with user-related issues. |
| The length of the school year and holiday breaks tend to be similar across local high schools. | College semesters do not correspond to the high school calendar. Semesters start and end at different times from high school quarters. Spring break will typically not correspond to your high school’s Spring vacation. You will need to attend class based on the college schedule and your professors are not required to accommodate those different timelines. |
| Weather delays/cancellations tend to be somewhat similar across local high schools. | Weather-related cancellations are independent of decisions made by local K-12 schools, and they tend to be much less frequent. Have a plan for transportation to the college in inclement weather if you are uncomfortable driving in the snow or other bad weather. |
Learning Strategy
| High School | College |
| Many students find that they only need to study a couple of hours (total) per week outside of class. | In college, you are expected to study 2-3 hours outside of class for every in-class hour. |
| A lot of class time is spent on re- teaching, review, and practice. | You are expected to read and make sure that you understand the assigned material. Lectures and other class activity proceed from the expectation and assumption that you have already done so. College classes move at a faster pace. |
| You are usually told in class what you need to learn from the assigned readings/work. | Your assigned readings may or may not be directly addressed in class, but you are expected to have completed them and to have mastery over the content. That material may show up on exams. |
Grades
| High School | College |
| Courses are often structured to heavily reward effort. | While effort is naturally important, in college it does not substitute for results. |
| Extra credit opportunities available to raise your grade. | Extra credit opportunities—if they exist-- will generally not raise a grade. |
| Testing tends to be frequent and generally covers relatively smaller amounts of material. | College courses may have only 2-3 tests in a semester. |
| High school grades do not affect your college GPA. | Grades earned through CCP courses are part of your permanent college record, even if you change schools. Whether those grades affect your overall college GPA will depend on whether or not you transfer to another institution and the policies of that institution. |
As you can see, there are real differences between high school and college, but now that you know what they are, you are already half-way there! And if you are still not sure if college is right for you at this time, please contact our Advising Office at 419-372-0886. We would love to talk with you!
Updated: 12/05/2022 04:50PM