Through dual enrollment programs, students can take advanced courses that count for both high school and college credits, giving them a head start in their higher education journey. This valuable option allows students to save time and money while gaining a competitive edge in their academic and career pursuits.
Dual Credit
Accelerate Your Future,
Expand Your Horizons
Dual Credit at Lewisville School of Science & Technology
Dual credit refers to courses in which high school students simultaneously earn high school credit and college credit. It is designed to help ease the transition from high school to college. The overall goal is for Lewisville School of Science & Technology students to attain their associate’s degrees upon high school graduation. Dual credit allows students to experience the rigor of college classes and boost their confidence to succeed both academically and socially once they transition to a college campus.
Students can become college eligible as early as their first semester of their freshman year. In order to become college eligible, students must pass the Reading and Writing TSIA2 test components and be on track with their high school coursework (unit work). Advisors will determine each individual student’s eligibility based on academic performance as well as the student’s classroom behavior. Once eligible, the registration process begins.
Criteria for a Dual Credit Student
In order to be considered for dual credit:
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The student must demonstrate college readiness on the TSIA2 test (or through exam exemptions as detailed in the Testing Policies section).
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The student must continue to carry a 3.0 GPA (4.0 scale) on all courses with at least a C or above in all dual credit courses.
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The student must have an attendance rate of 85% or above. In the case of transfer students, the attendance requirement may be waived by the campus director.
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The student must not have received high school credit for the course previously. For example, a student who takes U.S. History as a junior may not take the same course for dual credit as a senior. In accordance with House Bill 505, any student in grades 9-12 may take dual credit as long as they meet the other criteria.
College eligibility is not guaranteed and can change at any point at the discretion of the Lewisville SciTech Administrative team. Students who become ineligible after registration will complete a class drop form, indicated by a “W” on their college transcript. Students who are dropped from a class or who elect to drop a class can be subject to college eligibility penalties per the administration policy. Students must drop their classes by the specified withdrawal date to avoid academic penalty.
Dual Credit & GPA
Dual credit courses become a permanent part of a student’s college transcript. Students may not retake classes for a better grade unless they fail a course. If a student makes below a C in a dual credit course (69 or lower) the student will be on probation for a semester from dual credit. A student who fails a dual credit class may have to retake the class in order to graduate from high school (for example – HIST 1301 is US History which is a graduation requirement); however, retaking the course will not remove the failed grade from the student’s college or high school transcript. Thus, it is very important that students take their dual credit courses seriously.
Most colleges will provide the high school with a numeric grade for dual credit courses at the end of each semester. Schools will use that grade to calculate GPA. If a college provides letter grades, then GPA should be based on the following conversion: A=95, B=85, C=75, and D=70. The grade earned at the college level will be recorded on the student high school transcript. A student who receives a grade below 70 will not earn high school credit for the course.
Lewisville School of Science & Technology currently works in partnership with NCTC (North Central Texas College). Please contact our Dean of Academics for details.
Dual Credit Enrollment Procedures
In order to be enrolled in dual credit at Lewisville School of Science & Technology, all students must go through these basic steps:
North Central Texas College (NCTC) Registration Process:
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Complete application on goapplytexas.org (Go Apply Texas Step-by-Step guide).
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Apply Texas will send an immediate email that your application has been forwarded to NCTC. If you do not receive this email, go back to application.
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Additional emails will follow from NCTC which will include: College ID, Login Information, and updates on registration.
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Set up you NCTC student portal through OneLogin utilizing the credentials provided.
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Meet with Dean of Academics at Lewisville School of Science & Technology choose your dual credit courses and update your PGP. Complete Student Registration Form and return to Dean of Academics.
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Check in promptly when the course opens (and continue to check school email).
Dual Credit Student Expectations
Any active dual credit student enrolled at Lewisville School of Science & Technology must read and sign a copy of the Dual Credit Student Expectations Document.
Cost of Dual Credit
Through the partnership with the state of Texas and the designation of our campus being a PTECH campus, students who meet the criteria for dual credit and are actively pursuing a PTECH pathway at Lewisville School of Science & Technology may enroll in dual credit courses for no cost. This means the student must be enrolled in a CTE course that leads to the completion of their PTECH Pathway to be eligible for Dual Credit courses. Dual Credit enrollment through Lewisville School of Science & Technology includes course and textbook fees.
If a student withdraws from a dual credit course after the start of the semester, or if the student fails the course, the student may need to reimburse Lewisville School of Science and Technology for the course and textbook fees. The fees are payable through Skyward.
Transferring Dual Credit Courses
In the state of Texas, according to Senate Bill 25, the core 42 (42 hours of the core curriculum) are transferable to a public college and/or universities in Texas.
For out-of-state and private institutions, it will be up to the ‘receiving’ institution as to what credit and how much that college/university will take as transfer credit. (Best practices are to contact the admissions department of the college/university and inquire about specific transfer credits).
TSIA2 Testing
The Texas Success Initiative Assessment 2.0 (TSIA2) is a test that measures college readiness. Students must pass this test in order to be admitted into college courses. The three main portions of this test are Reading, Writing, and Math. The Reading and Math tests are multiple choice only, and the Writing test consists of multiple choice and a short essay. Passing the Reading and Writing tests will allow entry into most college courses, with the exception of math classes and math-centered science classes.
TSIA2 testing is administered, free of charge, twice a year at Lewisville School of Science & Technology (usually in October and February).
A breakdown of the minimum qualifying scores are listed in the table below:
TSIA2 College Readiness Cut Scores
ELAR
Score of 945-990 with an Essay of 5-8 or
Score of 910-944 with a Diagnostic Level of 5-6 and an Essay of 5-8
Math
Score of 950-990 or,
Score of 910-949 with a Diagnostic Level of 6
Dual Credit Further Information
Please click here to view the 2023-2024 Dual Credit Crosswalk, which outlines the high school course credit received for each dual credit course taken at NCTC.