Alternatives To Four-year High School Attendance

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In recognition of the fact that four-year enrollment in a public high school may not serve the needs of some students, the alternatives described below are available. In any of the Alternative to Four-Year High School Enrollment Requirements, the student assumes responsibility for his/her participation and success in the course of study. 

Dual Enrollment Program

Students enrolled in the dual enrollment program take high school courses and accredited college courses from a Maryland institution of higher learning simultaneously. A student may be accepted in a dual enrollment program in an MSDE approved college provided that:

• The student is in grade 11 or 12.

• The student has demonstrated the ability to do college-level work (as evidenced by a 2.75 unweighted grade point average in the preceding year of high school as well as other determining factors).

• The student has completed the Application for Alternatives to Four Year Enrollment form with all the required signatures by July 1 for the upcoming academic school year.

• The student has completed the college application process and has been accepted to a Maryland institution of higher learning. 

The student can be enrolled for a maximum of 15 semester hours (three credit system) or 18 semester hours (four credit system) approved dual enrollment college credit each college semester. Summer courses count as one semester. Note: Additional corresponding lab credits may cause a student to exceed this limit.

• For details regarding the most current information on Dual Enrollment Courses, Credit(s), and other pertinent course information, please refer to the Dual Enrollment spreadsheet.

See approved courses. Dual enrolled students must be enrolled in school in a full-time status (a minimum of four classes including a mathematics class). A waiver for this enrollment requirement must be approved by the school principal.

• Appeals pertaining to this option may be sought in accordance with SMCPS policy.

English

English in grades 9 and 10 must be taken at a SMCPS high school to fulfill graduation requirements. 

The Grade 12 English requirement can be met by taking two semesters of an English course at CSM as follows:

ENG 1010 – Composition and Rhetoric and ENG 1020 – Composition and Literature (appears on SMCPS transcript as CSM ENG 1010 and CSM ENG 1020 respectively)

If a student has either taken, received AP credit for, or placed out of ENG 1010 or ENG 1020, the student should take the next most appropriate course (listed in order of SMCPS Preference):

• • ENG 2010 English Literature I 

  • ENG 2020 English Literature II 

  • ENG 2030 Intro to the Short Novel/Novel

  • ENG 2050 Business and Technical Writing

  • ENG 2200 American Literature I 

  • ENG 2210 American Literature II

  • ENG 2320 World Literature I 

  • ENG 2330 World Literature II 

  • ENG 2250 Women Writers 

  • ENG 2260 Ethnic American Literature 

  • ENG 2040 Introduction to Drama

  • ENG 2070 Introduction to Poetry

Mathematics

Three high school mathematics courses to include Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2 must be taken at an SMCPS school to fulfill the graduation requirements prior to consideration of additional mathematics courses at CSM.

If a student has completed through Algebra 2, the mathematics graduation requirement can be completed by taking two semesters of the appropriate math courses (listed in order of SMCPS Preference):

• • MTH 1010 Quantitative Literacy and Reasoning 

  • MTH 1015 Introduction to Statistics 

  • MTH 1120 College Algebra 

  • MTH 1130 College Analytic Trigonometry

  • MTH 1150 Precalculus Algebra & Trigonometry

  • MTH 1200 Calculus 1 and Analytic Geometry 

  • MTH 1210 Calculus 2 

  • MTH 2200 Calculus 3 

  • MTH 2210 Differential Equations 

Social Studies 

History, American Government, and Modern World History must be completed at an SMCPS high school to fulfill graduation requirements prior to consideration of additional social studies courses at the college level. Social Studies courses taken at the college level may receive elective high school credit.

A student may receive a Maryland High School Diploma through early college admission, provided that:

• The student is accepted for early admission to an accredited Maryland college prior to high school graduation and had a 2.5 grade point average through the junior year.

• All Maryland high school assessments and Student Service-Learning requirements have been met.

• The student has completed the Application for Alternatives to Four Year Enrollment form with all the required signatures by July 1 for the upcoming academic school year.

• The student’s program for the full year of college must be approved by the Chief Academic Officer if the program is included toward the issuance of a high school diploma.

• At the conclusion of a full year of study, a written request for a Maryland High School Diploma is submitted to the Chief Academic Officer, together with a transcript from the college showing that the student has successfully completed a year of college work.

• Upon receipt of the student’s college transcript, the student will be re-enrolled in SMCPS and the approved college credits will be added to the high school transcript.

• The student may not participate in high school sports, clubs, or sponsored events, apart from the graduation ceremony.

• Students receiving Social Security survivor benefits will disqualify themselves from the continuance of those benefits should they enroll in the Early College Admission Program in that they will be withdrawn as a high school student.

• College tuition, fees and transportation to the college campus are the responsibility of the parent.

• Appeals pertaining to the option may be sought in accordance with SMCPS policy.

Steps for requesting Early College Admission:

1. Apply to a four-year accredited college and be accepted prior to July 1 of the junior year of high school. 

2. Complete the Alternatives to Four-Year Enrollment Form 

3. Seek approval from the Chief Academic Officer for Early College Admission.

Early Admission to Approved Vocational, Technical, or Other Post-Secondary School 

Students seeking Early Admission to an approved vocational, technical, or other post-secondary school withdraw from high school and attend an approved vocational, technical, or other post-secondary school full-time in lieu of the senior year of high school.  

A student may receive a Maryland High School Diploma through participation in an early admission program of an approved vocational, technical, or post-secondary school provided that:

• The student is accepted for early admission to an approved vocational, technical, or other post-secondary school prior to high school graduation.

• All Maryland high school assessment and Student Service-Learning requirements have been met.

• The student has completed the Application for Alternatives to Four Year Enrollment form with all the required signatures by July 1 for the upcoming academic school year.

• The student’s program for the full year of study must be approved by the Chief Academic Officer if the program is included toward the issuance of a High School Diploma.

• At the conclusion of a full year of study, a written request for awarding of a High School Diploma is submitted to the Chief Academic Officer. A transcript or equivalent letter must accompany this request.

• It is not part of a CSM Dual-Enrollment course or program.

Appeals pertaining to this option may be sought in accordance with SMCPS policy.

Credit By Examination

MSDE has identified exams that would allow students to earn a substitute credit in English 12 in order to accelerate the student’s graduation from high school. 

• In accordance with COMAR 13A.03.02.04.I.(2), “(2) A student who would be eligible to graduate but for obtaining credit in English 12 may obtain that credit by taking a State-approved examination and achieving a passing score as defined by the Maryland State Department of Education.”  The attached memo provides an update on the SAT scores associated with this COMAR. For more information, please contact Cecilia Roe, Director of Instructional Assessment,  Professional Learning, and English/Language Arts at Cecilia.Roe@Maryland.gov.

If a student elects to pursue this option, the student/parent assumes the cost for the test; the student is responsible for providing the score report(s) to the school counselor for verification.