Dual Enrollment – APS/NOVA Partnership

Dual enrollment is an enrichment opportunity allowing high school students to earn college credits for courses taken through NOVA while still being enrolled in high school. Dual enrollment students are enrolled in both high school and NOVA.

High school juniors and seniors, who meet the established criteria, are eligible to participate in the dual enrollment classes. Freshmen and sophomores can be granted exceptions on a case-by-case basis.

• Allows students to receive high school and college credit simultaneously.
• Eliminates the duplication of courses taken in high school and in college.
• Permits students to accumulate credits prior to entering college so they can be able to graduate from college early or on time.
• Provides students with a wider range of courses than usually offered in high school.
• Gives students an opportunity to complete general education courses required at most colleges and allows them to explore different fields before declaring a major.
• Facilitates a seamless transition from high school to college. Students can get a sense of what college is like without being overwhelmed by a new environment. Students can experience how high school classes compare to college courses and how college professors differ from high school teachers.
• Lowers the cost of a two or four year college education.

• On a NOVA campus- Students can take regularly scheduled college courses on campus and be part of the general student population at NOVA. Students will need to register for these classes on campus.
• Online-Students can take an online course through NOVA’s Extend Learning Institute.
• At high schools- Certain classes are offered during the regular school day for students attending certain high schools or the Career Center. These courses are taught by high school instructors who are NOVA adjunct professors and meet
• NOVA’s credentialing requirements.

Contract courses taken within an APS high school are provided at no cost to the student. High school students taking a course on a NOVA campus or online are required to pay in-state tuition per NOVA’s Tuition & Fees enrollment rates. For more information about enrolling in Dual Enrollment classes, please see your high school counselor or view the Dual Enrollment Manual.

If there are questions about specific courses, contact the course instructor and/or school counselor.

Q: What does “Dual Enrollment” mean?

A: Dual Enrollment (DE) means that while students are enrolled in APS and will receive APS credit for the course, they are also enrolled in Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA). They will receive corresponding NOVA credit for the course.

Q: What is the difference between Standard and Dual Enrollment courses?

A: The greatest difference is in the rigor of the courses. DE courses are responsible for covering NOVA content as well as APS content. The DE course is a full NOVA course.  This is a true college class and DE courses receive a quality point.

Q: What and when are the NOVA Orientations?

A: NOVA offers two (2) APS-specific Orientations for students and families via Zoom. NOVA staff will present detailed information on DE courses, NOVA policies and expectations. The two Orientations will be held in late-August and early-September.  Further details will be provided via email upon completed registration.

Q: How do I qualify for a Dual Enrollment course?

A: All students must demonstrate college readiness to take Dual Enrollment classes. GPA, PSAT, SAT, ACT, or AP results will determine if the student is eligible to take a course. https://www.nvcc.edu/admissions/dual-enrollment/procedures/admission-placement.html

Q: How can students register as a NOVA student for the first time AND for DE courses?

A: Students should follow the directions on the website below to register as a NOVA student AND to select their courses:https://www.nvcc.edu/admissions/dual-enrollment/procedures/contract.html

Q: What expectations are there for a DE student?

A: DE students are expected to advocate for themselves. This means they are expected to communicate with the teachers when they have questions about the course, an assignment, a grade, etc. Students are expected to keep up with the workload by completing and handing assignments in on time. Students should be aware of and follow all course policies. These policies are in detail within each course’s syllabus.

Q: If students have an IEP or a 504, will those accommodations transfer to the DE course?

A: If students have an IEP or a 504, they need to contact NOVA to receive accommodations for their NOVA grade. This is not done through APS. NOVA’s Accommodations and Accessibility Services Office will work with students to determine what accommodations they are eligible for and will provide a Memorandum of Accommodation (MOA) to the student. Once received, students must email a copy to each DE teacher. For semester courses such as Social Studies and English, students must send a copy at the beginning of each semester. Note: this is NOT retroactive. This means that if the MOA is delivered to the instructor after the course starts, the accommodations will not be applied to previous assignments.https://www.nvcc.edu/student-resources/accessibility/index.html

Q: What is a Drop deadline and when is it?

A: The Drop deadline is the last day to leave the course and have it not appear on students’ transcript. It would be as if they never enrolled in the course, and they would be moved to a Standard section. Deadlines are usually in mid-September for semester-based courses and early-October for year-long courses. Students who wish to drop a DE course should email the following staff members: ∙the course instructor, ∙their School Counselor, ∙Angela Hightower [email protected]The email should include the following information: ∙student’s name, ∙student’s NOVA ID, ∙course number

Q: What is a Withdraw deadline and when is it?

A: The Withdraw deadline is the last day to leave the course with a W on your transcript. The W does not impact students’ GPAs and is preferable to an F. This is the last possible day to be removed from a DE course. The withdrawal deadlines are normally in late-November for semester courses and mid-February for year-long courses. Any requests after that date will be rejected by NOVA. The student is responsible for withdrawing from the DE course. The student should click on this link https://dashboard.nvcc.edu/Forms/125-03 to fill out the form. They should log in with their NOVA username and password. Once completed, the instructor will receive it and approve it. The student should also notify the School Counselor so that schedule changes can be made.

Q: How do DE course grades impact students’ GPAs?

A: The APS grade students earn in a DE course impacts their APS transcript. DE courses earn an extra quality point for the APS transcript. The NOVA grade students earn in a DE course impacts their NOVA transcript. Occasionally, these two grades may differ if students have accommodations for their APS grades that they do not have for their NOVA grades.

Q: How important are the DE syllabi?

A: DE syllabi are very important. They contain all the course policies, information, deadlines, and content information. Students should refer to the syllabi throughout the semester/year.

Q: What dual enrollment courses are available at my school?

A: Students refer to your Course Request Form and discuss with the counselor.

Q: How can I contact my school counselor and/or NOVA liaisons?

A: Students and families can contact them at: ∙School Counselor at school and/or via email (available on school website) ∙Career Center NOVA Liaison: Deirdre Magro [email protected] ∙NOVA Dual Enrollment Coordinator: Angela Hightower [email protected]∙NOVA Dual Enrollment Office: [email protected]

Q: How can I get more information about Dual Enrollment and other NOVA Programs available?

A: Visit NOVA Dual Enrollment website https://www.nvcc.edu/admissions/dual-enrollment/index.html