Purpose

  • Providing equitable access to Early College Credits increases college readiness, giving students a head start on finding strong first jobs and on completing a career-aligned secondary degree. Dual enrollment, dual credit, and concurrent enrollment helps increase high school graduation, college enrollment, and college completion
  • Providing Credentials of Value allows students to demonstrate real-world skills to future employers, giving students a head start on finding a strong first job

Definition

  • Early College Credits: Credits which may count towards completion of a college degree and enable students to get a head start on college completion
    • Conditional on NYCPS pathway approval, applicable courses could be dual credit/enrollment (including College Now), Advanced Placement (AP), or International Baccalaureate (IB)
  • Credentials of Value: Industry-validated certifications that high school students can attain to demonstrate mastery within their occupational title where applicable
    • Most FRNYC course sequences include Credentials of Value that are aligned to the pathway, are stackable, and open doors to postsecondary opportunities and strong first jobs. In some cases, they will enable students to receive Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) from CUNY or other institutions of higher learning
    • Some pathways contain "Stepping Stone" credentials (e.g., basic cardiac life support) that are designed to provide students with an understanding of basic content and build confidence in attaining higher level credentials of value

Minimum experiences FRNYC schools must provide to FRNYC students

Each FRNYC high school will equitably offer early postsecondary opportunities that are integrated within career pathways; schools will be supported in partnership with higher education institutions. The early college course sequence is approved by NYCPS and courses are categorized as FRNYC-ECC. These courses are defined as:

  • College courses that build on industry standards-aligned high school coursework.
  • College courses that engage and spark student interest in continued training in a specific occupational title (e.g., understanding of foundational concepts, activities and impact).
  • College courses that are highly transferable (aligned to postsecondary degrees,are gateway courses for a pathway, and are aligned to the adopted occupational titles).
  • College Courses that historically meet a 80% or higher completion rate and ensure skill attainment (where possible).
  • College courses with title and description clearly linked to pathways(for example, the course satisfies a prerequisite and/or the course is identified on degree maps for Associate or Bachelor's degrees).
  • College courses that transfer and articulate seamlessly from a two-year to a four-year degree within the specific majors tied to each pathway.

In most cases, the partner will be a CUNY campus that would provide students with an NYCPS approved sequence of occupationally-aligned early college credits that will prepare them for a career in their FRNYC pathway. Schools that are mathced with non-CUNY campuses will be directly engaged with the FRNYC and OSP Leadership teams to facilitate those partnerships.

For schools partnered with CUNY campuses, College Now (CN) is a funded college transition / dual enrollment program for New York City public high school students delivered in partnership between CUNY and New York City Public Schools.

The Early College Credits and Credentials requirements for FRNYC pathways include the following:

  • CUNY (or SUNY) Explorers campus visit for 9th graders (non-credit bearing)
  • CUNY First Year Seminar (FYS) or SUNY AP Seminar, which may be offered to eligible sophomores as a one-college-credit course
  • Two FRNYC Early College Pathway Courses i for eligible juniors and seniors.
      • In order to meet CUNY's eligibility requirements and to ensure equitable access to early postsecondary opportunities, schools and district teams are encouraged to prioritize academic acceleration and integration support starting in summer prior to freshmen and sophomore years.
      • Schools are encouraged to use the course standards to work with their CUNY partners to convert CCI courses within the standard NYCPS FRNYC sequences to dual credit courses. Dual credit is a structure that will reduce the credit load for students and accelerate progress through the pathway.

    Through each pathway's four-eight course CCI sequence and vertically integrated early college coursework, FRNYC students may prepare to earn a stepping stone credential and/or credential of value that meet demand and wage thresholds to prepare students for high-value career opportunities. A list of FRNYC-approved credentials of valiue aligned to occupational titles is linked here.

    This table is a suggested breakdown of opportunities to earn early college credits / credentials of value by grade level; these opportunities may be taken throughout the FRNYC experience and as students meet higher education eligibility requirements. Adaptations based on student populations served, type of schools (transfers, district 75, Internations) may be considered in consultation with the FRNYC team.

      • Grade i

      • Early College Credits

      • Credentials of Value

      • Grade 9
      • CUNY Explorers campus or SUNY Explorers visit (non-credit bearing)
      • Grade 10
      • One first-year seminar course via SUNY or CUNY or an equivalent such as AP Seminar
      • One-hour optional workshop to prepare students to attain industry credentials, including:

        • Instructions on applicability of credentials
        • Introduction to example credentials
      • Grade 11
      • At least 1 FRNYC-ECC, dual enrollment, credit-bearing College Now or SUNY CN course

        • Note: AP / IB courses may also fulfill this requirement, and dual-enrollment courses must be offered through an FRNYC-approved higher education partner
      • Students may earn a stepping stone credential (e.g., basic cardiac life support) designed to provide students with an understanding of basic content and build confidence towards attaining a higher level credential of value
      • Grade 12
      • At least 1 FRNYC-ECC, dual enrollment, credit-bearing College Now or SUNY CN course

        • Note: AP / IB courses may also fulfill this requirement, and dual-enrollment courses must be offered through an FRNYC-approved higher education partner
      • Students are expected to complete the four-course sequence and earn the corresponding credential from the NYCPS approved credential of value that meets demand and wage thresholds to prepare students for high-value career opportunities

    Guidance for Effective ECC Partnership Engagement

    To establish FRNYC aligned Early College Credits and Credentials (ECC) programming for students, schools should adhere to the following guidance:

      • Guidance

      • Action Items and Guidance

      • Principal assigns a school-based ECC Coordinator (required)
        • ECC Coordinator will:

          • Facilitate recruitment and support the application process for ECC courses
          • Meet regularly with ECC staff to check-in on students’ progress as it relates to attendance and credit completion
        • Schools should complete student registration for Fall course work by August 21, 2024
        • Spring 2025 recruitment should begin in October and be completed no later than December 15, 2024
      • ECC Coordinator meets with a campus-based leader to learn about ECC course offering, policies and modalities
        • These meetings are required to enable your school to learn about ECC course offerings, policies, and how the ECC program can align with your school and its vision for FRNYC
        • Course modality types for CN courses include:

          • Location: In-person, on campus, virtual or hybrid
          • Timing: During school day, before or after school, or weekend
          • High School teaching staff for CN Course Offerings:

            • NYCPS Teacher can serve as CUNY Adjunct (must adhere to CUNY hiring processes and requirements) – guidance on becoming a CUNY adjunct is detailed at the bottom of this section
            • CUNY Adjunct can teach on School Campus (fingerprinting required)
        • ECC Coordinators for schools partnered with a non-CUNY higher education partner should work in coordination with their campus representative to establish the hiring and credentialing guidelines for those higher education partners.
      • Determine which semester(s) programming will be offered
        • ECC Coordinator and principal will need to establish whether they are offering ECC options in the Fall during the Spring semester of the prior school year to facilitate planning timelines of the higher ed partners.
        • Schools that opt to offer programming in the Spring will need to determine their Spring offerings in partnership with their ECC partner in the Summer/early Fall.
        • While establishing and maintaining a close partnership with your ECC campus partner is vital, reach out to the FRNYC team for support with FRNYC-ECC options and programming questions.
      • Equitably identify students to register for ECC courses i
        • Consider academic acceleration starting in 9th grade to ensure equity in ECC participation so that all students can meet prerequisites for the courses being offered.
        • Consider obtaining and distributing translated communications to families to highlight ECC opportunities and benefits for their child
        • For CN Course Offerings: Support students with creating their CUNYFirst Account which is a gateway to all CUNY enrollment
        • When planning for the following year of FRNYC in your school, consider reaching out to current students and families to inform them of ECC options before the end of the school year to plan enrollment and preparation for the upper grades in advance.
      • Finalize fall ECC enrollment (deadline in summer–please confirm exact date with your campus partner)
        • In general, registration for Fall offerings is due by August 21
        • For the Spring 2025 semester we ask all FRNYC student enrollments be completed by December 1st, 2024. For schools matched with a CUNY partner, please connect with your CUNY champion to coordinate pre-requisite requirements and students registered on CUNYFirst.
      • For schools partnered with a CUNY for ECC: Schedule a CUNY Explorers campus visit
        • Schedule two post-secondary trips, including CUNY Explorers campus visit with the 9th grade Career Foundations teacher(s).
      • Establish a regular meeting schedule (e.g., monthly) with ECC partner
        • It is important for schools to manage student enrollment, attendance, and ECC course completion. Withdrawing without notification and/or failing a ECC course will negatively impact student transcripts.
        • The ECC Coordinator must be in close and consistent contact with their ECC partner at all times to monitor enrollment and attendance and to resolve problems as quickly and as smoothly as possible.
        • Schools should schedule additional touchpoints as needed to check in on student progress and review disaggregated data and address disproportionality.
      • Record ECC course offerings and enrollment in STARS
        • Updated guidance to record ECC offerings and enrollment using the STARS Admin Pathways program manager will be available by October 2024.

    To prepare students to earn industry credentials, schools must:

    • [For full implementation schools only] Determine which NYCPS-approved credential of value you will offer during SY24-25
      • Credentials of value will be embedded within CCI courses
      • Guidance on preparing students to earn credentials of value will be provided during the FRNYC Summer Institute
      • Schools will be expected to fund credentials of value through their own school budgets or through FRNYC launch funding. Reach out to your Pathway Director or Instructional Coach for guidance on each pathway's credential(s).
    • Schedule a one-hour optional workshop to prepare students to attain industry credentials, including:
      • Instruction on the value and applicability of industry-recognized credentials
      • Introduction to example credentials and the path towards attaining them
    For Schools Matched with CUNY Partners: Qualifications for College Now Adjuncts

    Schools are encouraged to work with their college partners to design dual credit CN offerings aligned to the NYCPS standard FRNYC course sequences. This enables students to accelerate through the pathway, ease the credit load, and simultaneously satisfy college and high school requirements. One strategy for this is to have NYCPS teachers serve as CUNY college adjuncts. Each CN course is overseen and managed by the academic department Dean or Chairperson of each CUNY campus that offers the course. The minimum qualification to be a CN Adjunct is a baccalaureate and graduate degree (master's degree preferred) in the field of the course. Additional qualifications may be required on a case-by-case basis. A minimum of three years' teaching experience is often preferred. To apply for a position, applicants must contact the designated college representative in the manner indicated on the job posting before the closing date, which is specific to each college. The closing date is the date by which all completed applications must be received.

    Persons employed as adjuncts shall be assigned to teach part-time or perform related duties on a part-time basis. The appropriate Dean or Chairperson assigns teaching and work schedules. Adjunct appointments are made on a session-by-session basis, subject to satisfactory evaluation, the needs of the department, sufficiency of registration, changes in curriculum, and financial ability.

    Adjunct and non-teaching adjuncts are paid in accordance with the terms of CUNY/PSC collective bargaining agreement. Salary schedule is available at the Professional Staff Congress/CUNY AFT Local #2334 (PSC-CUNY) website.

    Additional Recommended Resources

    • The Dual Credit Playbook can support schools who wish to offer College Now coursework during the school day for high school credit