Adopted October 7, 1999

These Principles of Good Practice are provided to facilitate the implementation of the CBHE's 1999 Dual Credit Policy and are based on the following assumptions:

  • The primary purpose of offering dual credit courses is to deliver high-quality introductory college-level courses to high-performing high school students.
  • All faculty, whether full time or adjunct (i.e., including high school faculty assigned to teach dual credit courses), will meet North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Institutions of Higher Education standards.
  • Dual credit programs are established through an arrangement between a high school with an established need and a Missouri institution of higher education.
  • Each institution's full time on-campus faculty will be actively involved in approving courses offered for dual credit in their discipline and in providing orientation and evaluation of dual credit instructors.
  • Regular consultation and review on dual credit issues will occur with representatives of secondary school organizations participating in dual credit programs.
  • All public institutions and each independent/proprietary institution that is a signatory to the 1998 Credit Transfer Policy agree to abide by the CBHE's dual credit policy.

Principles of Good Practice

It is desirable that institutions in compliance with the statewide dual credit policy follow these agreed-upon principles of good practice. Although the structure and delivery of dual credit programs will vary among institutions, those variations should consistently reflect current policy. Institutional approaches to the delivery of dual credit courses should be consistent with an institution's mission while remaining aligned with state-level policy guidelines.

  1. Dual credit programs should reflect a commitment to high quality and integrity.
    • Each dual credit course should involve the same academic rigor and evaluation criteria as that of its campus-based equivalent.
    • Institutions should establish procedures for the selection, training, evaluation, and mentoring of dual credit instructors.
  2. Institutional context, commitment, and responsibilities should be clearly established.
    • Institutions should establish dual credit relationships only with high schools that are within a reasonable commuting distance.
    • Institutions of higher education should facilitate frequent, consistent, and timely communication with the high schools in which they provide dual credit courses. That communication should address the scheduling of courses, compliance with statewide dual credit policy, identification and resolution of problems that occur, and evaluation of each dual credit course.
    • Institutions providing dual credit courses should assume responsibility to ensure and document the quality of dual credit practices by demonstrating compliance with the statewide dual credit policy.
    • High schools and institutions providing dual credit courses should work cooperatively to ensure that students enrolled in those courses meet minimum qualifications as outlined in the statewide dual credit policy. A listing of students eligible to enroll in dual credit courses, as determined by GPA, test scores, and criteria described in the statewide dual credit policy, should be updated each semester.
    • Institutions, in partnership with high school personnel, should ensure that instructors teaching dual credit courses meet the minimum qualifications as established by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Institutions of Higher Education guidelines. Each institutions' list of eligible dual credit teachers who meet the academic preparation requirements of the dual credit policy shall be updated each semester.
    • Transfer and articulation officers should be familiar with their institution's dual credit policy and any agreements between their institutions and high schools in order to provide information to interested individuals.
    • High school advisors should be familiar with the statewide dual credit policy as well as specific school/college agreements so as to provide accurate and sound advice to high school students.
    • Colleges and universities involved in dual credit programs should provide dual credit instructors with both ongoing supervision by on-campus faculty and access to regular pedagogical and resource support such as professional development workshops.
    • Students in dual credit courses should have access to student services and academic support similar to those accorded students on the traditional college campus, i.e., advisors, adequate library services, and other resources requisite for college-level academic performance.
  3. Institutions providing dual credit courses should develop and maintain procedures for evaluation and assessment.
    • Institutions should maintain close alignment between dual credit courses taught in high schools and corresponding courses taught on college campuses by ensuring that dual credit assignments and grading criteria are identical to, or of comparable design, quality, and rigor to, the equivalent campus-based course. In circumstances where assignments and grading criteria are not identical, a rationale approved by the college's academic department must guide such modifications.
    • Procedures for the supervision and evaluation of dual credit instructors should include activities such as:
      • regular site visits to the high school by representatives of the institution of higher education;
      • opportunities for dual credit instructors to discuss concerns and to share information with each other and with the institution of higher education;
      • regular evaluation of dual credit instructors through methods identical to those used to evaluate their campus-based counterparts; and
      • access to appropriate professional development opportunities and mentoring offered either exclusively to dual credit instructors or to both campus-based faculty and dual credit instructors.
    • Institutions should assess, document, and transcript student achievement in each course.
    • Based on prior academic performance, high school students should demonstrate a high likelihood of success in dual credit courses.