Early College Credit is a program involving a partnership between Blue Mountain Community College and high schools in our region which allows you to earn college credit while you are still in high school. These college credits are posted to a BMCC transcript and apply to certificates and degrees here at Blue Mountain Community College or may be transferred to another college or university. At just $30 per credit, Early College Credit allows you to get an early start toward a college certificate or degree at an amazing savings of time and money!
Connect with our Early College Credit experts in Admissions. They can get you started!
Early College Credit courses are a great deal. Please check with your high school or Early College Credit staff to find out the cost of dual credit courses. Some high schools pay for Early College credits.
If you transfer to another college, you will need to send them your BMCC course transcripts. If you received early college credit from another college, then you may need to contact that college to have your courses transferred to BMCC.
Unsure what classes to sign up for? Schedule a meeting with an Early College advisor. Choose an advisor based on your future interest, or just pick one.
We require that all ECC teachers meet minimum criteria for teaching Dual Credit or Sponsored Dual Credit courses in partnership with BMCC.
General Requirements:
To qualify as a Dual Credit instructor, you must have a master’s degree in the subject area you will be teaching (at least 20 credits must be in the discipline).
To teach Sponsored Dual Credit, you must have a bachelor’s degree in the subject area or a closely related subject, PLUS 45 credits of graduate-level work (i.e. master’s degree in Teaching or Education) AND you must have been teaching the subject at the high school level for at least three (3) years.
To qualify to teach CTE courses (i.e. Agriculture or Business), you do not necessarily need to hold a master’s degree. Instead, we look for an “appropriate combination of education and experience,” and prefer teachers with CTE licensure.
In addition to these general requirements, some disciplines require that teachers meet additional specific requirements (such as specific teaching license endorsements). If you have questions about specific requirements, please contact our Early College Program Coordinator at earlycollege@bluecc.edu.
Welcome to the Early College Credit High School Teacher Page! Here you will find the information you need to request future articulation, to maintain current articulation, and to stay updated on any new policies and procedures relating to the Early College Credit Program.
The Early College Credit Program operates under the adopted Oregon State Standards for Dual Credit Programs. These standards were adopted by the Joint Boards of Education in September 2010. Dual Credit programs in Oregon are also governed by Oregon Administrative Rule 589-007-0200 Click the links below for further information on the standards and rules governing dual credit programs in Oregon.
Oregon State Standards for Dual Credit Programs
The purpose of the Early College Credit program is to provide eligible high school students the opportunity to experience more challenging coursework and to begin earning college credit while still enrolled in high school. The Early College Credit earned in high school can apply toward certificate or associate degree programs at Blue Mountain Community College, or they may be transferable directly to other colleges and universities. With credit earned through the ECC program it may be possible to complete a certificate or degree in less time and at a substantial savings!
The three major ways in which BMCC offers college credits to high school students are:
Dual Credit: the course is taught at the high school by a high school teacher who meets the qualifications of an adjunct college instructor. Students pay discounted tuition for these courses.
Sponsored Dual Credit: the course is taught at the high school by a high school teacher who participates in a PLC with a BMCC college instructor. Students pay discounted tuition for these courses.
Expanded Options: the course is taught by a BMCC instructor at a BMCC location or online. Students pay the regular full tuition rate for these courses.
Please note that Dual and Sponsored Dual Credit courses follow a different academic calendar than Expanded Options courses. Links to both calendars can be found at the top of the page.
We require that all ECC teachers meet minimum criteria for teaching Dual Credit or Sponsored Dual Credit courses in partnership with BMCC.
General Requirements:
To qualify as a Dual Credit instructor, you must have a master’s degree in the subject area you will be teaching (at least 20 credits must be in the discipline).
To teach Sponsored Dual Credit, you must have a bachelor’s degree in the subject area or a closely related subject, PLUS 45 credits of graduate-level work (i.e. master’s degree in Teaching or Education) AND you must have been teaching the subject at the high school level for at least three (3) years.
To qualify to teach CTE courses (i.e. Agriculture or Business), you do not necessarily need to hold a master’s degree. Instead, we look for an “appropriate combination of education and experience,” and prefer teachers with CTE licensure.
In addition to these general requirements, some disciplines require that teachers meet additional specific requirements (such as specific teaching license endorsements). If you have questions about specific requirements, please contact our Early College Program Coordinator at earlycollege@bluecc.edu.
Two courses are said to be “articulated” when the high school course has the same student learning outcomes, curriculum content and rigor of assessment as the college course. Course titles may differ between the high school college-level course and the articulated college course, but the course materials, content and instructional quality are consistent with courses offered by the community college. Because of this articulation, a student should be able to transition smoothly to the next level of college courses.
Since Early College Credit courses are the result of an alignment between high school college-level courses and college courses at Blue Mountain Community College that require college-level coursework, not all high school courses are eligible for ECC articulation.
Our Early College Program Coordinator will work with high schools who are interested in establishing new articulation agreements and increasing the Early College Credit opportunities for their students. Please contact us at earlycollege@bluecc.edu for more information.
Each new academic year, BMCC sends ECC Articulation Forms to approved high school teachers with their list of Dual Credit and Sponsored Dual Credit courses. High school teachers indicate which course(s) they intend to teach in the upcoming year, the title of the equivalent high school course(s), and in which semester the credit(s) will be offered. The form is then routed to the high school Principal and to BMCC’s Vice President of Instruction for approval signatures.
ECC Instructors also submit a course Syllabus for the upcoming year to be reviewed by the college department and approved for articulation continuation. The new syllabus will reflect the current year’s college course outline with the Student Learning Outcomes for the course and assessment rigor for the course.
The ECC instructors and college chairs and/or faculty will attend regular meetings for program or subject areas to review student learning outcomes, course curriculum, assessments and to share best practices among the group. Change of instructors will always require new approval if the new instructor is not already approved for the specific course being articulated.
The High School and ECC Instructors will:
The College will:
The Student will:
High Schools and their teachers will work with our Early College Program Coordinator to ensure that each course has a syllabus that meets the criteria needed for the upcoming year. For more information regarding ECC syllabi, email earlycollege@bluecc.edu.
All approved ECC teachers will be assigned a BMCC ID Number and assistance to activate their account. This will provide access to real-time class rosters, the online grading system, and ongoing information for staff and faculty at BMCC.
Active ECC teachers are expected to monitor class rosters for accurate student registration. The teacher is the “gatekeeper” for checking that students register for the correct college credit and that they register in the appropriate sequence.
Timelines for registration and grade posting for Dual Credit will be listed on our Dates and Deadlines page. Timelines for other ECC programs can be found at our BMCC 2019/20 Academic Calendar.
Standard college grades apply to Early College Credit courses. Students will be awarded grades A-F based on performance in the course and on assessments as described in the course syllabus.
Students are responsible for dropping ECC courses by the designated drop deadlines. Following the opportunity to drop, a student has the opportunity to withdraw from a course through the designated withdraw deadline. If the student remains in the course beyond both of these deadlines then they are responsible for the grade earned in the class. Once a grade has been posted, a course cannot be removed from a student transcript. Please help remind students of the drop/withdraw deadlines.
| LETTER | GRADE | CLARIFICATION |
|---|---|---|
| A | excellent | |
| B | good | |
| C | average | |
| D | below average | |
| F | failure | |
| I | incomplete | Use only if 60% or more of curriculum is completed |
| W | withdraw | Student transcript indicates “W” and is considered an unsuccessful attempt |
To request a grade change for a student, simply log into your BMCC faculty WolfWeb account and print the Grade Change Form. Complete and sign the form then submit by scan/email to BMCCs’ Office of Instruction for approval (see form for contact information).
As an ECC teacher it is important for you to know the ins and outs of the ECC program to help advise your students on whether to participate in the program or not and to help them navigate the registration process. To earn college credit through the ECC program, students must complete the full course and meet the students learning outcomes and assessment rigor as approved by the college. Completing an ECC approved class at the high school does not automatically grant students college credit–they must register and pay the costs within the deadlines to receive the college credit. For assistance with creating a BMCC record, logging on to the WolfWeb, etc. students may email earlycollege@bluecc.edu.
The cost to earn BMCC credit while students are still in high school varies depending on what program they are in.
Dual Credit and Sponsored Dual Credit cost is $30 per credit beginning in the 2023-2024 academic year, a significantly reduced rate to the standard tuition/fees for regular BMCC students (currently $116 per credit for in-state students).
Expanded Options cost is charged at the standard tuition rate of $116 per credit. Contact your school’s ECC Liaison to see if your school pays students’ Expanded Options tuition.
Registering for BMCC courses on your own is charged at the standard tuition rate of $116 per credit hour.
ECC balances due may be paid online at the time of registration or at a later time, so long as it is prior to the deadline for each term. If an ECC account is past due a financial hold will be placed which will prevent future registration and access to BMCC transcripts until the overdue balance is paid in full.
There are a variety of ways a student or their parent can make payments on an account:
Some high schools have programs in place to pay for their students’ Early College Credit courses. It is up to the student and the school to communicate these arrangements by submitting a Third Party Payment form.
Dual Credit Third Party Payment Form
Expanded Options Third Party Payment Form
Students who are at risk of not being successful in their ECC courses have two opportunities to avoid grade responsibility:
Students are responsible to drop/withdraw from ECC classes by the deadlines for each term. Late (after deadline) drops/withdraws are not allowed. Students may drop/withdraw from their ECC course by logging on to their Student WolfWeb and selecting “Drop or withdraw from a class (es)”.
** ECC Credit by Exam is not eligible for refunds, drops or withdraws.
Students have 24/7 access to their unofficial transcript and online ordering of official transcripts through their Student WolfWeb portal. Students are strongly encouraged to review their unofficial transcript after each term of ECC registration to verify grades and courses are posted accurately. Mistakes should be reported to the registrar’s office (541-278-5758) or the ECC office (earlycollege@bluecc.edu) immediately.
Missing courses: If a student believes that they registered for a BMCC course that is not showing on their official transcript, they must report this during the academic year in which the coursework was completed. Example: took a biology course during 1st semester 2016 (September 2015 – January 2016). Must resolve the error no later than June 10, 2016.
Grades: If they believe the grade issued for a course is incorrect, they have one year from the term and year the course was taken to submit an appeal.
Example: received a grade of “C” in a biology course during 1st semester 2016 (September 2015 – January 2016). Must submit a grade appeal during or prior to January 2017.
Courses are not posted to a student transcript until grades have been posted. For Dual Credit deadlines see our Dates and Deadlines.
Because your students are earning both high school and college credit for ECC classes, they are expected to follow student conduct policies of both the high school and the college. Student conduct policies are found on our BMCC website at Students-rights-and-responsibilities
In cases of cheating or plagiarism, ECC teachers are responsible for resolving the situation.
High school students are not eligible for federal financial aid at this time. The credits earned through the Early College Credit program may be considered in determining future financial aid eligibility for students. Helping students to be very intentional about the courses they take is essential. Discernment of abilities and awareness of important Early College Credit dates and deadlines will help your students on their way to a successful start to their college experience. More info at https://c3-oregon.org/accelerated-learning
FERPA stands for the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. FERPA is a federal law that protects the privacy of students’ educational records.
Your students may provide a release of information to parents/guardians from their WolfWeb account. This will allow BMCC to share information with parents (or others listed by the student) as necessary.
High schools and colleges operate under different guidelines for students with disabilities. Reasonable adjustments in teaching methods and/or assessment delivery that do not alter the essential content of a course or program, may be possible for students with a documented disability, but all students must meet the student learning outcomes and assessment rigor of the course in order to be eligible for college credit. If special services are needed, the student will work with the institution in which the class is taking place (ie: the high school for Dual Credit, Credit by Exam and Credit by Proficiency and BMCC for Expanded Option courses).
Contact our Disabilities Services for more information at 541-278-5965
2411 NW Carden Ave.
Pendleton, OR 97801
(541) 276-1260