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Dual Credit - Teacher Resources

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Offering Dual Credit at Your High School

1. Dual Credit brings college directly to students who would otherwise never imagine going to college.

2. Dual Credit gives your school district the opportunity act as a 'bridge' to college, as it requires added conversation with parents about how they think about education, both secondary and higher.

3. Dual Credit provides tremendous savings for the ever-increasing burden of paying for college.

4. Dual Credit is changing the conversation around student potential. This results in changes in their belief about their potential as well as their belief about their place in the world. Dual Credit makes their world bigger.

5. Dual Credit is an appropriate amount of pressure that invites students into a larger version of themselves.

  • Advising

    A Dual Credit teacher is not simply someone who provides classroom instruction, they also serve as mentors and advisors to their students. They help guide students through academic policy and procedures, offer advice, encouragement, and guidance. The CWI Dual Credit team encourages you to facilitate conversations with your students to establish a collegiate environment in your classroom. Students and their parents may come to you seeking information specific to their Dual Credit courses or the direction their education is taking them. If you find yourself struggling to help them please encourage them to contact Dual Credit Coordinator. Advisors are a central key to any student's success in college, and a simple visit to the office can make a far-reaching difference in a student's college education.

    Topics Teachers Might Want to Discuss When Advising Their Students:

    The Dual Credit office is aware that teachers may not be comfortable providing academic advising to their students. To help we've come up with a few suggestions:

    • discuss academic performance and implications of performance for future undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs you desire to pursue
    • talk about study techniques and resources available to them at the high school and CWI
    • discuss the significance of being a Dual Credit student. (The student is considered a college student, and their commitment to the class will be reflected on a college transcript. If the student does not succeed in the course their financial aid may be affected in the future)
    • discuss the importance of dates and deadlines and the implications if these are missed

    CWI GEM Certificate Program

    The General Education Matriculation (GEM) Certificate Program allows students who wish to accelerate their education have the opportunity to complete up to 36 credits, earn an Academic Certificate, and satisfy statewide college core requirements. Students should be encouraged to meet with a CWI advisor to create a personalized learning plan. They’ll graduate from high school ready to enter their sophomore year in college with their GEM requirements completed!

  • Become a DC Teacher

    If you are currently teaching at an Idaho High School with at least a Bachelor’s degree in discipline (or a related field) and have at least five years of experience teaching the class at the high school level (or have similar experience in industry), please send an email of intent to dualcredit@cwi.edu stating that you have the previously noted qualifications so that she may create an account for you in Dual Enroll, where you will be asked to submit your application (cover letter, resume, unofficial transcripts).

    If you are currently teaching for an Idaho High School but do not have a Bachelor’s degree in discipline (or a related field) and at least five years experience teaching the class at the high school level, you may still appeal by submitting the following documentation to dualcredit@cwi.edu with a statement that you do not/may not meet previously noted qualifications, but would still like to appeal to teach the course for Dual Credit. This email should be accompanied with the following, which will then be forwarded to the respective Department Chair for approval:    

    • Cover letter    
    • Resume    
    • Unofficial Transcripts

    COVER LETTER

    Teachers should make sure their cover letter includes the course the teacher desires to teach in addition to the term(s) during which the course will be taught. For teachers who do not meet the minimum hiring criteria (Bachelor’s degree in discipline and at least five years of experience teaching the class at the high school level), please provide additional information in the cover letter on any graduate level classes within the discipline, including course descriptions, along with any other degrees that may be held in a related field. Also, information regarding personal and/or professional experience within the discipline will be strongly considered. 

    Thanks for reaching out to CWI and we look forward to working with you!

  • Course Equivalencies

    CWI participates in Idaho’s Statewide Articulation and Associate Degree Policy. This means that when students transfer an Associate of Arts or Science degree from CWI to a four-year public institution in Idaho, they will not be required to complete any additional lower-division general education core classes. This policy is not intended to meet specific major requirements – i.e. engineering, pharmacy, business, etc.

    Transferring to a college/university in Idaho:

    Dual Credit courses are accepted by all Idaho institutions of higher education. CWI has partnered with a number of institutions in Idaho to provide direct access to transfer assistance and customized benefits for CWI students.

    CWI Transfer Partnerships

    Course Transfer Idaho is a website developed by Idaho public and community colleges and state universities to help students learn what credits will transfer within Idaho.

    Contact the admissions department at the college/university you are considering and work with them to determine which courses completed at CWI will transfer.  It's important to start this process as early as possible to ensure that student complete appropriate coursework while attending CWI.

  • Curriculum Alignment

    In order for students to earn college credits at their high school, their high school teacher must meet College of Western Idaho's (CWI) teaching standards and the curriculum needs to be aligned with CWI’s on-campus class. The alignment process consists of a CWI Faculty Liaison reviewing the high school’s existing curriculum, such as copies of assignments, exams, textbooks and other supplemental reading materials in addition to reviewing the teacher’s grading rigor. In most cases, the high school teacher is able to make modifications to the school’s curriculum that are required by the CWI Faculty Liaison so that 100 percent alignment can be accomplished. This process can take anywhere between four to eight weeks.

  • Dual Enroll

    Dual Enroll

    Dual Enroll streamlines and automates the registration of high school students taking college courses offered on the high school campus. It also helps to ensure college rigor and outcomes are met for courses offered in the high school through the curriculum alignment process.

    The CWI Dual Credit team has implemented the Dual Enroll curriculum alignment process in all of our partnering high school and with IDLA.  Students registering for Dual Credit classes at their high school or through IDLA can learn more about the Dual Enroll registration process, including steps to register by visiting the Dual Credit Registration page.

  • Promote Your Class

    Looking to build interest in your Dual Credit class? Contact our Dual Credit office to discuss the best ways to highlight the benefits of earning college credit in high school.

Phone: 208.562.3371
Physical: 6042 Birch Lane, Nampa, ID 83687 NCMP Room 202    
Mailing: CWI Dual Credit MS 1300 PO Box 3010 Nampa, ID 83653

For information regarding dual credit courses offered at your high school, please contact your high school counselor or the CWI Dual Credit Director.