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The VALUABLE information listed below was provided by the extremely knowledgeable Carleen @ www.evaluationstation.com.

Thank you Carleen for your service to the homeschooling community!

 

The following is a letter I designed to introduce my clients to "Dual Enrollment." This is a great opportunity for homeschoolers who have completed 9th grade to work toward earning their AA Degree by the time they are finished with their high school years. I urge you to consider this option for your students. Keep in mind this info is always changing, but I will try to keep it updated. This website is not intended to be the final authority on these matters. My purpose here is to give you all a good overview and then you can contact an adviser at your local college and find out how you can get started. Many of our homeschoolers are able to graduate at the end of their

high school years with their AA degree already under their belts! It is a great way to save money and time.

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This is some helpful info that will get you started if you are considering Dual Enrollment in Pinellas County. While this info varies from county to county, if you are not in Pinellas, it may give you a general overview of how the system works. KEEP IN MIND- Changes frequently occur within this system. Verify everything with the Dual-Enrollment contact person who works with homeschoolers at YOUR college. Having a good relationship with this adviser is essential to your success. Your county liaison (the person to whom we send the Certificates of Review,) has to communicate with this person at your local college, so you can contact your liaison and ask for the contact info for the person who works with Dual- Enrollment at your local college. They will be happy to help!

 

The dual enrollment program allows students who are registered with the county as “homeschooler(s) in good standing” to take college classes for free beginning after the student has completed ninth grade. Students still need to pay for books. There are only so many seats set aside for dual enrolled homeschooled students in these classes so patience and flexibility are required! Classes can count for high school and college credit simultaneously. Many students graduate homeschool high school having

already completed their AA degree. Once they take college classes, they are now established as a college student.

 

(Please note- In order to transfer to a major university and be accepted at the Junior year level so you can begin working toward your bachelor's degree without having to take additional classes as a Freshman when you get there (which can be expensive), you need to have accumulated at least 60 + credit hours while meeting the requirements for your basic AA degree AND... Speak to your adviser about taking any additional classes in your area of interest, i.e. Music, Business, Education, Science,

etc. that may be required by the college you want to get into AT that university so you can be sure you have met all the additional requirements. It is always a great idea to establish an early relationship with an adviser at the university you plan to attend before you complete your AA degree. That way, you can be fully informed, take any additional classes you will need while you still have the benefit of free

classes under dual enrollment program and there will be no surprises!)

 

Below you will find the links to forms needed to dual enroll your student in SPC, Pinellas County. Only a couple of them need to be filled out, the rest are just informational. They DO include their transcript. IvDO NOT fill that out. Homeschoolers generally do not measure ourselves against all their requirements,vso I just use the one I recommend to you on my site (EvaluationStation.Com) on the Links and Resources page towards the bottom. The transcript I use is very professional looking and has worked just fine for all three of my boys… and it’s free. (Print it out first to get a good look at it. Instructions for personalizing the info in the Header area are on the Links and Resources page.)

 

To begin the process you must register your student in order to attain an SPC student number. Here is the link to do that.

 

 

 

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Also, BEFORE you can register your student for classes EACH semester- you must call Dot - Our county homeschool liaison- (727-588-6209)  and ask her to send an email to the SPC Dual Enrollment

office stating that... "(Your student’s name) is a homeschooled student in good standing." (While you

only need to have a homeschool evaluation done ONCE per year- the college requires this email

confirmation before s/he can register for classes each semester. Dot is pretty quick about emailing it

over as long as the Certificate of Review has been submitted to her office for that year.) I usually just

leave a clear message on her voice mail with the request, my student’s name and my phone number

and she takes care of it.  (They have just switched to requiring this confirmation only once per year- but

double check that info so you can be sure that is the current procedure.)

 

 

Once Margaret* (in the Dual Enrollment office at SPC in Seminole 727 394-6023) receives your forms

and your transcript and the letter from Rick Wolfe (the current county homeschool liaison), call and ask

Margaret if she "can authorize (your student) to take the PERT test. "  (This is a computerized college

entrance exam.) FYI: Margaret's email: Miller.Margaret@spcollege.edu

 

*Margaret will be retiring 8/2016- ***Thank you, Margaret, for all you have done to help all of us!***

I know the Lord will be faithful to give us someone who will continue your work, and we wish you well!

 

I have included the PERT Study Guide (below) so your student can prepare. If taking the test at the

Gibbs campus, s/he would go to the AD Building (Administration) and proceed down the hallway to the

testing center (on the right). Your student will need a photo ID. No electronic devices. Can get up and go

the restroom with permission. Test averages 3 1/2 hours- all on the computer. Your student may bring in

a pencil. They have scratch paper there to use for the math section. Call for hours: 341-4771. Parking

for visitors is in the little parking lot right outside that building. Sometimes you have to wait for a spot OR

there is a lot further down the street behind the college for visitors as well. The testing center will give

your student the scores as soon as s/he finishes.

 

S/he will need at least a 104 on Reading, a 99 on Writing, and a 113-122 in math. This will put the

student in Intermediate Algebra- This class does not count toward the math requirement of the AA

degree other than as an elective, but will help prepare the student for the higher level College Algebra

class, which IS required for an AA, and can be taken without an additional fee. Getting to this level

opens the door for your student to take a Biological science course- which helps fulfill one of the science

requirements for the AA. If your student scores between 123-150, s/he can go directly into MAC 1105

(College Algebra) which, again, is one of the classes which fulfills the math requirement for the AA

degree. Way to go!

 

Some students have a difficult time with this math section of the PERT. Not to worry. You can retake that

section (but only once.) You may find you just need to take a Developmental Math course offered by the

college. (Either Dev Math 1 or Dev Math 2 depending on what score you made on the PERT.) This

doesn't count toward the AA, but helps prepare you for the next level. (These courses will not give you

credit hours but they DO effect your grade point average.) This class is outside the Dual Enrollment

program and will have to be paid for, but it can help get the student over that math hump and get you

into Intermediate Algebra and then you are on your way to College Algebra! YAY! Until that portion is

passed or you have reached Intermediate Algebra, students may not take the physical and biological

sciences needed for the AA, but you can get your Humanities, Social Sciences, and Comp courses out

of the way while you tackle that math. I only mention all this because it happens a lot. If you are a whiz

at math- God bless you! The rest of you... get to work!

 

Once your student is accepted into the dual enrollment program, be sure to maintain your student’s

enrollment in your homeschool program through the completion of their final semester of dual

enrollment. Graduating them from or terminating your homeschool program during a semester in which

they are taking classes under the dual enrollment program will cause them to dropped from those

classes or be charged for them. Students may continue in this dual enrollment program only until they

have graduated from their homeschool program or reach the age of 19. (Turning 19 during the last

semester is okay.) According to Fl Statutes, students who need special accommodations may

continue in the Dual Enrollment Program until the age of 21. (Again, if they turn 22 mid-semester, they

may complete that semester. -verified info w/ Margaret 6-20-2016)

 

Check the SPC website for the Academic Calendar so that you will know when to register your student for

classes each semester. Margaret (or your local adviser) can fill you in on the proper procedure. Can you

do it by phone or will it have to be in person? Will you need to have alternative class selections in case

your first choices are full? (Yes!) What paperwork do you need to bring with you? Patience and prayer

are the first order of the day. Remember that God has a plan for your child and trust that He will work all

things together for their good and His glory.

 

As a parent of a Dual Enrolled student, you will not have the authority to discuss your student with his/

her teachers... unless you fill out a form giving you that authorization. Please be sensitive about this,

however. These college professors do not really want to speak with parents. They expect the students to

be able to handle themselves at this level, and they should. IF there is a valid reason, be respectful and

handle things with the utmost care. You are a reflection on us all. It IS important that you keep yourself

aware of the academic needs/ situation of your student. And you will be the one registering them for

classes in the wee hours of the morning, so DO have this form filled out. As a homeschooling parent of

a Dual Enrolled student, you are now, resource support for your student, schedule adviser, editor/ proof-

reader, listener of speeches, guidance counselor, and encourager! You may not be teaching every

subject at this point- maybe just Bible study, but you WILL be needed!

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