Concurrent Guide | North Arkansas College

Welcome to Northark's Concurrent Enrollment Program

The courses you or your students are taking for concurrent credit whether online, at Northark, or on your high school campus will provide both high school and college credit, but because it is a college course, you will need to know the following information.

Concurrent Enrollment Admissions Policy
ACT 1097 of the General Assembly provides for students who are enrolled in a high school and meet the admission standards of North Arkansas College to concurrently enroll for academic courses. Northark considers those students who have successfully completed the eighth grade and who have not graduated from high school as falling under the provisions of this policy. Students in grades nine through twelve may enroll for credit courses by meeting the following criteria:

Student must have completed the eighth grade and be enrolled in a secondary school or home school.
Student must complete an application for admission, this may be completed at
www.northark.edu, choose Admissions and Apply.
Student must provide test scores (ACT or Accuplacer). Home-schooled students must also provide a copy of the Notification of Intent to Home School Form, which is on file with the local school district.
Student must complete the Concurrent Enrollment Form located on the Northark Website under Admissions and Concurrent Credit, this form may also be obtained from the high school counselor. This form must be turned into Northark’s Outreach department in order for the student to be enrolled. To be eligible to enroll in college credit classes, a concurrent student must achieve the following minimum ACT scores based on the 12th grade norms (or comparable Placement Test scores):

ENGL 1013 English Composition — ACT English, 19 or Accuplacer Sentence Skills, 83 or Next Gen. Accuplacer Writing, 255 & ACT Reading, 19 or Accuplacer Reading, 79 or Next Generation Accuplacer Reading, 255

MAT 1223 College Algebra — ACT Math, 21 or Accuplacer College Level Math, 42 or Next Gen. Accuplacer QAS, 255 &

ACT Reading, 19 or Accuplacer Reading, 79 or Next Generation Accuplacer Reading, 255

MAT 1223 College Algebra (5 days a week) — ACT Math, 19 or Accuplacer Elem. Algebra, 77 or higher or Next Gen. Accuplacer QAS, 249 &

ACT Reading, 19 or Accuplacer Reading, 79 or Next Gen. Accuplacer Reading, 255

All other courses in the State Minimum Core Curriculum — ACT Reading, 19 or Accuplacer Reading, 79 or Next Gen. Accuplacer Reading, 255

Only students who are qualified and enrolled in the college course may attend the course; high school students cannot attend the course to receive only high school credit. North Arkansas College may stipulate additional qualifications for admission to concurrent student status. Northark Concurrent Enrollment Program staff will determine concurrent student placement score attainment and eligibility at the time of registration.

A concurrently enrolled student will be classified as non-degree seeking.
A concurrently enrolled student may not enroll for more than nine semester hours during any semester, this includes courses taken at the high school campus or on the college campus during regular school hours. Exceptions must be approved by Concurrent Enrollment Program Staff in consultation with the Academic Leadership and Student Success Team.
Students enrolled concurrently must achieve a 2.00 GPA each semester of Northark enrollment. Students failing to achieve a 2.00 semester GPA will be placed on academic probation for the following semester if the cumulative GPA falls below 2.00. Students will remain on academic probation as long as their semester GPA is 2.00 or higher and their cumulative GPA is less than 2.00. Students will be placed on academic suspension if, while on academic probation, they fail to achieve a 2.00 semester GPA and the cumulative GPA continues to be less than 2.00. Students may not re-enroll at Northark until they are classified as degree-seeking, typically following high school graduation or completion of a GED credential. Exceptions will require the approval of the Academic Leadership and Student Success Team.
All arrangements of third-party payment of tuition and fees are the responsibility of the student.
Northark academic programs have oversight for transcripting concurrent college credit that follows HLC standards for student learning outcomes, faculty credentialing, etc.

Registration/Schedule Changes

To complete enrollment in concurrent courses students will need to complete an application for admission, send qualifying ACT or Accuplacer scores to the Concurrent Manager, complete the Concurrent Enrollment form with a parent/guardian and the high school and send to the Concurrent Manager. The priority deadline to ensure requested classes is July 1st for the fall semester and the last Friday before Thanksgiving for the spring semester. The application, qualifying scores, and concurrent form must be submitted before the deadline to qualify. Students are able to submit after the deadline but placement into courses is not guaranteed.

Once the Concurrent Manager has received the qualifying scores and concurrent enrollment form, the Registrar’s Office will enroll you into the course(s). Once enrolled, the Concurrent Manager will send an email to the student with next steps and further information about textbooks, logins, email, orientation, etc. The email address listed on the student’s application for admission is the address the Concurrent Manager will use.

An updated Concurrent Registration Form is required each semester in order to register for courses for the Concurrent Program. Students will not be able to register for classes online. Students will work with their High School counselor to schedule classes or they may schedule an appointment with the Concurrent Manager. Students will also not be able to drop a class online. If a student needs to drop or change their schedule, please contact the Concurrent Manager.

Academic Advising

While a student is still enrolled in high school, all academic advising should be handled through the high school counselor or head of the respective program at Northark (i.e. Concurrent Manager or Northark Tech Center staff). However, all Northark students have access to the Academic Advising Office.

Schedule Changes: Adding/Dropping a Course after classes have begun

If for any reason a student has to change their schedule and/or withdraw from the course(s) in which they are enrolled, they will need to complete the withdrawal process through Northark Enrollment Services. Northark has to cancel a course, the students and the high school will receive timely notification so that students can change their schedules.

Schedule Changes: Adding/Dropping a Course before classes have begun

If for any reason a student has to change their schedule and withdraw from the course(s) in which they are enrolled before classes have begun, they will need to contact the Concurrent Manager.

Course Cancellation

Each concurrent course must have a minimum enrollment of 10 students to be taught in an individual section at the high school. Course enrollment lower than 10 must be approved by Northark in order to be offered for concurrent credit on the high school campus. Additional requirements for individual courses may be adopted in conformance with actions taken by academic departments in the College. If you have any question concerning these policies, please contact the Concurrent Manager for the course in question.

Textbooks

Students are encouraged to contact their high school counselor to see if their school provides books for concurrent students. If students are purchasing books on their own, they can find the information for the class(es) on the College Store website.

Immunization Records

Any student taking twelve (12) or more credit hours at Northark must submit a copy of their immunization records to the Northark Registrar’s Office documenting immunity against measles, mumps, and rubella.

Credit and Payment Policy

Students who register for classes at North Arkansas College are required to pay all related tuition and fees or have made allowable payment arrangements by the posted deadline. Any tentative enrollment will be voided if payment arrangements are not made by this deadline. Payment arrangements include written, non-revocable payment commitments from approved third-party entities, or certain timed installment payment agreements via e-Cashier. Students electing any

qualified payment arrangement agree to the stipulation that upon any arrangement default or delinquent account status, North Arkansas College may deny future enrollment and/or refuse to release any transcripts and records until the debt is satisfied.

Concurrent Tuition

Students who are enrolled concurrently at Northark may be eligible for a Concurrent Tuition rate of $50 per credit hour. To qualify to receive the Concurrent Tuition rate, a student must complete a Concurrent Enrollment form with their high school counselor and guardian. Students enrolled in the Northark Tech Center (NTC) are not responsible for payment of NTC sponsored courses.

Payment Information

Online account payment capabilities and certain payment arrangement options are available by logging into the students MyNorthark account. Use of this service requires a valid Discover, Mastercard, or Visa credit card, or a checking or savings account; and certain application and transaction fees may apply. Payment arrangements with e-Cashier will be available through the last day of registration. Regular cash, check, or credit card payments may be transacted in person at:

South Campus

Student Accounts

1515 Pioneer Drive

Harrison, AR 72601

Additionally, valid credit card payments may be made via phone at 870-391-3292.

Regular payments may be mailed to:

North Arkansas College

Attn: Student Accounts

1515 Pioneer Drive

Harrison, AR 72601

For schools that pay for their student’s tuition and fees, the Concurrent Manager will send an invoice to the high school counselor after the 11th day of classes.

Delinquent Accounts and Collection Policy

North Arkansas College may deny future enrollment and/or refuse to release any transcripts and records until any delinquent account balance or debt to the college is satisfied. Delinquent accounts may also be subject to additional charges, including late fees, processing fees, collections costs, and attorney fees. Additionally, North Arkansas College may pursue delinquent account collection through in-house efforts, public collection agencies, and/or garnishment of an individual’s Arkansas State Income Tax Refund, as allowed by Arkansas Statute 26-36-301.

Refund Schedule

Refund time periods are posted on the Tuition and Fees page of the Northark website.

Future Financial Aid Eligibility

Note: This affects students who drop courses after the 100% refund date.

Effective July 1, 2011, changes to Federal Student Financial Aid rules regarding Satisfactory (SAP) impact students enrolling in concurrent and dual enrollment courses. Federal Law requires that all college coursework be measured to determine academic success, including Concurrent and Dual Enrollment courses. Before each academic year (fall-summer) colleges and universities will review grades including concurrent courses taken in high school, to make sure students maintain a 2.0 GPA and a 67% course completion rate. If not, students will have until the end of the high school career to bring their GPA and/or course completion up or potentially be denied financial aid after high school. Failing a course and not completing a course carries the same consequence.

Grades and Transferability

All grades received for college courses will be posted on a student’s Northark college transcript. The Northark Registrar’s Office will send official grades for all students enrolled from each high school at mid-term and after final grades have been posted.

Grade Reports/Transcripts

You may request a transcript from the Registrar’s Office in person or from www.northark.edu. You can also view your grades in your MyNorthark account.

Transfer of Credits

You must request an official copy of your Northark transcript to be sent to the college/university desired for transfer. You may request a transcript from the Registrar’s Office in person or from www.northark.edu.

Course Transferability

The Arkansas Department of Higher Education has implemented the Arkansas Course Transfer System (ACTS) with a general education curriculum that will transfer to any public institution of higher education in the state. Northark concurrent courses are listed in ACTS on its website at http://acts.adhe.edu as a “Guaranteed Transfer.” The Northark Catalog states: The Arkansas Course Transfer System (ACTS) contains information about the transferability of courses within Arkansas public colleges and universities. Students are guaranteed transfer of applicable credits and equitable treatment in the application of credits for admissions and degree requirements. Course transferability is not guaranteed for courses listed in ACTS as “No Comparable Course.” Additionally, courses with a “D” frequently do not transfer and institutional policies may vary. Although the courses taken as part of the concurrent enrollment program are required of virtually all college freshman, if you plan to attend a private or out-of-state school, you should consult with transfer advisers there about transferability of courses.

Being a Northark Student

As a Northark concurrent student, you have all the privileges associated with student status at Northark including full access to Northark’s library, academic and career advising, and tutoring opportunities. Your rights and responsibilities are defined in the Northark Student Handbook. Learning Resource Center (Library)
The North Arkansas College Learning Resource Center contains the library, testing center, and tutoring services. It serves students as well as the Harrison community. The LRC has a wide range of materials and services available to meet the needs of its users. There are a number of services offered, such as book/DVD check out, tutoring on a variety of subjects, testing services, as well as laptop and calculator checkout. If you are looking for a place to study or a spot to relax, the LRC has comfortable lounge seating, study rooms and lots of technology for your convenience. Hours of Operation: 7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Monday –Friday Academic Advising
While a student is still enrolled in high school, all academic advising should be handled through the high school counselor or head of the respective program at Northark (i.e. Outreach Division or Northark Tech Center staff). However, all Northark students have access to the Academic Advising Office. Academic Advising involves more than just schedule building. Advising empowers you to create and achieve your educational plans all while receiving accurate information and guidance. New and non-continuously enrolled students are required to visit with an advisor before enrolling in classes. Students with less than 30 college credits also are required to visit with an advisor before enrolling in future semester courses. Advising is optional for currently enrolled students with 30 or more credits. The Advising Center is open from 8 a.m. –5 p.m. Monday through Friday and is located in room M184 on the South Campus. Call 870-391-3115 to schedule an appointment.Northark Student Conduct: Academic Integrity
North Arkansas College’s commitment to academic achievement is supported by a strict but fair policy to protect academic integrity. This policy regards academic fraud and dishonesty as offenses requiring disciplinary action. Academic fraud and dishonesty are defined as follows:

Cheating — Intentionally using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information or study aids in any academic exercise.
Facilitating academic dishonesty — Intentionally or knowingly helping or attempting to help another commit an act of academic dishonesty.
Plagiarism — Intentionally or knowingly representing the words and ideas of another as one’s own in any academic exercise.
Test Tampering — Intentionally gaining access to restricted test materials including booklets, banks, questions or answers before a test is given; or tampering with questions or answers after a test is taken.

Cases of cheating and plagiarism at Northark are considered to be serious offenses and are subject to one or more of the following depending on the severity of the offense:

No credit for the assignment or opportunity for make-up; or
Loss of credit and dropped form the course; or
Permanent suspension from Northark.

Students may resolve disciplinary action by following the chain of command in the order given: Instructor, Department Chair or Program Director, Dean, and the Academic Grievance Committee facilitated by the Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs. The decision of the Academic Grievance Committee is final.

Students with Disabilities

North Arkansas College is committed to providing support needed for equal access and equal educational opportunity for each student. If you have a documented disability that could impact your pursuit of an education, you may receive appropriate accommodations by contacting the disability coordinator. Accommodation plans are created specifically for you when you meet with the Disabilities Coordinator. All services comply with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and with subsequent state and federal legislation.

For additional information or to obtain accommodations, students should contact the Disabilities Coordinator. 870-391-3115

Accommodation Process
Make an appointment with the Disabilities Coordinator.Most disabilities require some sort of documentation. Examples include letters from doctors, reports or bills, which list a diagnosis, IEPs that list a diagnosis. If you have trouble obtaining documentation, contact the disabilities coordinator for more information.

The disabilities coordinator will work with you to develop an accommodation plan.

If your plan requires participation by your instructor, the disabilities coordinator will give you an accommodation plan letter to give to your instructors.

Notify the disabilities coordinator if your contact information, accommodation needs, or schedule changes.

Confidentiality — The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects all records concerning student disabilities. Disability records do not follow you when you transfer to another college or university and are not shared with employers.

If you have received Special Education services (IEP or 504 plan) and/or if you have a disability or medical concern which you feel may impact your access to or progress with being a concurrent student, and would like to request accommodations during your time at Northark, please contact the Disabilities Coordinator for more information. It is important to understand that even though you are still a high school student, your access needs for any course that you take through Northark is subject to the Northark process and that any plan you and your parent/guardian(s) have participated in through your high school (IEP or 504) will not apply to your Northark course(s).

Student Responsibilities

• Read the college catalog and all materials you receive during registration. These materials tell you what the college expects of you.

• Read the syllabus for your class carefully. The syllabus tells you what the instructor expects from you.

• Remember that even though you are taking this course for high school credit, it is a college course and its requirements will match the requirements of college courses; this may include departmental exams given at Northark’s campus and graded by Northark faculty.

• Attend all class meetings. Something important to learning happens during every class period. If you must miss a class meeting, talk to the instructor in advance about what you should do.

• Be on time. If you come in after class has started, you disrupt the entire class.

• Never interrupt another class to talk to the instructor or a student in that class.

• Be prepared for class. Complete reading assignments and other homework before class so that you can understand the lecture and participate in discussion. Always have pen/pencil, paper, and other specific tools for class.

• Learn to take good notes. Write down ideas rather than word-for-word statements by the instructor.

• Allow time to use all the resources available to you at the college. Ask your instructor for help with materials or assignments you do not understand; use the library; use the free tutors, computers, and other resources in the Student Resource Center.

• Treat others with respect. Part of the college experience is being exposed to people with ideas, values, and backgrounds different from yours. Listen to others and evaluate ideas on their own merit.

For Schools - Approval of New Concurrent Courses

Schools may request courses to be offered for concurrent credit via the following process:

The school notifies the Concurrent Manager of the desire to offer a specific concurrent course(s).
The Concurrent Manager reviews the following to ensure the course(s) meets the requirements from the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board (AHECB).

a.) Concurrent Credit Courses - must be freshman-level and/or sophomore-levelcollege/university courses that are approved through the established process of an institution and included in the institutional catalog.

b.) The general education courses offered for concurrent credit must be listed in the Arkansas Course Transfer System (ACTS).
c.) The course offered for concurrent credit must meet the same standards as college courses taught on the college/university campus.
d.)The College/university administration must exercise direct oversight of all aspects of the concurrent course, including participation in the faculty selection, orientation, and evaluation processes. The instructor teaching the college course for concurrent credit must:

1. use the approved college/university course syllabus,
2. use the same textbook or a textbook with aligned content and course learning outcomes as approved by the college/university,
3. adopt the same learning outcomes and assignments as those developed for the course offered on the college/university campus with limited exceptions approved by the college/university, and
4. use the same course grading standards as those on the college/university campus. If departmental exams are used in college/university campus courses, then those course exams must be used at the high school site.

If the request meets all of the AHECB requirements then the Concurrent Manager in collaboration with the designated academic department may approve the course(s) for concurrent delivery.

The Concurrent Manager works with the appropriate Dean from the respective academic area to hire an instructor and include the Concurrent course(s) on the schedule.

Concurrent Faculty Hiring Process

The Arkansas Department of Higher Education and Higher Learning Commission establishes minimum qualifications for concurrent instructors.

Master's Degree with at least 18 graduate credit hours in the subject area being taught
Completed application for employment at North Arkansas College
Submission of official undergraduate and graduate transcripts
Tentative syllabus (subject to change

Application Deadline

Instructors should apply and have all required materials submitted by July 1st if they wish to teach for the upcoming year.

Application Process
The interested high school instructor submits all of the application materials to the Concurrent Manager. The college reviews the applicant’s materials and makes a recommendation to approve or deny the applicant. The applicant and high school personnel receives communication indicating approval or denial from the Concurrent Manager.

The interested high school instructor submits application materials to the Concurrent Manager.
The faculty liaison/department chair, college dean, and specified members of the Concurrent program will review submitted materials and ensure the applicant meets the respective qualifications for hiring credentials. A decision on how to proceed will be made after review of the materials.
After a review of the materials, a decision is made on proceeding with an approval or disapproval of the applicant. If approved, an interview is scheduled with the prospective instructor. If the candidate is successful, then the new concurrent instructor will receive details of the Part-Time Faculty Orientation that occurs at the beginning of each semester. If denied, the teacher may continue to work with the college to move toward the proper credentialing required for future opportunities to teach the course.
For approved instructors, a faculty liaison is assigned by the college and the course outline/syllabus is reviewed by the concurrent instructor and liaison.
The concurrent instructor receives information from the faculty liaison on how to update/make necessary changes to the course syllabus, textbooks, course templates, course requirements, etc.
The faculty liaison remains in contact with the concurrent instructor and works to ensure the syllabus and course expectations are equivalent to that of the on-campus course. The faculty liaison will also schedule a mandatory site visit to the concurrent instructor’s classroom.

If the prospective instructor teaches at a school that is currently not under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with North Arkansas College for Concurrent Enrollment Programs, their school must be first approved by North Arkansas College Memorandums of Understanding require signatures from both the college President and the school district Superintendent or high school principal.

Concurrent Enrollment Process

Definitions

Students who wish to take courses for high school and college credit are considered concurrent students. Concurrent students should see the Concurrent or Admissions department for Enrollment after consulting with the high school counselor. Home Schooled students should work with Northark’s Advising Center staff.

Dual credit students are those who wish to take college credit but do not intend to use the credit toward the high school diploma. Northark Advising Center staff advise dual credit students.

Students who desire to receive both dual and concurrent credit should follow the process for concurrent students.

Process

Students should indicate the desire to take concurrent classes with their high school counselor. The high school counselor reviews requirements for concurrent students to ensure they are prepared and meet qualifications for concurrent courses. The high school counselor/principal will complete a Concurrent Enrollment Form for each student and sign off to indicate agreement to the student taking concurrent courses. The high school counselor and the concurrent department will serve in an advisory capacity for concurrent students. Home Schooled students should see a Northark advisor to complete the concurrent enrollment form.

In compliance with NACEP standards, the student and the parent sign both the front and backside of the concurrent enrollment form.

The student will complete the online application for the college (unless currently enrolled). When the Admissions Office processes student acceptance into the college, a letter is sent which includes an assigned Student ID number. The student will email/fax/mail/hand deliver the concurrent enrollment form and placement test scores to the Concurrent Manager. Forms may be given to the Admissions Department, if students are already on campus. The concurrent manager and/or the Admissions office personnel will verify the student has applied, completed the concurrent enrollment form, and has submitted qualifying test scores.

Completed forms will be entered into the corresponding concurrent spreadsheet shared with Admissions, Registrar, Student Accounts, and Concurrent staff.

The Admissions department will activate and enroll the student into the appropriate concurrent course section.

The Admissions department notifies the concurrent program when concurrent students have been enrolled.

The Student Accounts office will credit the student account to the concurrent rate for eligible students and indicates this by notation on the excel spreadsheet.

The concurrent department will send an email to the personal email address of each student with information in regards to payment, books, logins, orientation, title IX, and other information. This email will not include the Northark student ID number; students will need to reference their acceptance letter for that information. If students lose their acceptance letter, they can visit the Admissions office with a photo ID to be provided with the ID number.

The concurrent department will include in correspondence to each student or school district a note that includes the payment deadline, which aligns with the college payment deadline.

The concurrent department will be in contact with the high school counselors weekly beginning 6 weeks before the semester begins to provide updated lists on students who are enrolled in classes.

Once classes have begun, the concurrent department will send a list to the area schools and ask them to note any students who are not receiving high school credit for a class. The concurrent department will compile the list of Dual enrollment students for the Director of Institutional Research.

Concurrent students will not be charged the late registration fee.

Books can be charged to the high school and rented from the Bookstore. Rental of books is permitted if the high school has a credit card that is kept on file for the books.