Administrative Policies

Kentucky Community and Technical College System Enrollment of High School and Adult Education Students Policy

KCTCS colleges are expected to enter into partnerships with comprehensive high schools, area technology centers, and adult education programs for the purpose of providing postsecondary educational opportunities to high school and adult education students. Guiding principles for all agreements include national standards, regional accreditation standards, Kentucky Revised Statute, and KCTCS policy. Agreements must meet the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) accreditation requirements.

The following mechanisms may be used to award credit to high school or adult education students.

• Articulated Credit –College credit awarded by the KCTCS college for successful completion of secondary courses. Articulated credit is awarded and transcripted when the student enrolls in the KCTCS college and earns a minimum of three credits in an applicable postsecondary program. Students who do not complete three credit hours in an applicable postsecondary program at the KCTCS college within three years of the last course completed at the secondary institution may be required to take a special examination or to repeat the course if there has been significant change in related technology within the time period.
  
  
• Dual Credit–A college-level course of study in which a high school student receives credit from both the high school and the KCTCS college in which a student is enrolled. In order to receive college credit, the high school student must apply and be accepted to a KCTCS college and fulfill all requirements for the course. Since all dual-credit courses are college courses, KCTCS colleges are responsible for the academic integrity, quality, and rigor of the courses for which postsecondary credit will be awarded.
  
  
• Dual Enrollment–Concurrent enrollment in a KCTCS college and high school or adult education program with credit awarded by the KCTCS college. A student may be concurrently enrolled in a KCTCS college and high school or adult education program. Dual enrollment is distinguished from dual credit because the student earns credit only from the KCTCS college. Dual enrollment of high school students may occur when the college course has no high school equivalent or a dual credit opportunity is not available. Dual enrollment is appropriate for adult education students because adult education programs do not award credit.

Local colleges must have a policy regarding the enrollment of high school students or adult education students that is consistent with KCTCS student admission and academic policies.