Early College Partners

1. By March 31, 2025: Confirm which approved courses you intend to offer.

2. All new instructors are required to complete our onboarding process before teaching Oakton courses. To that end, course approvals are contingent upon instructors fulfilling this requirement. (See the Important District Instructor Disclosures section for details.)

3. The name of dual credit courses offered through our partnership should reflect Oakton’s course naming conventions in the high school scheduling system and student transcript (i.e., EGL 101: Composition I).

4. Unless otherwise specified in the approved course listing, enrollment shall not exceed Oakton’s maximum capacity. Requests for special exceptions should be submitted to dualcredit@oakton.edu.

5. Enrollment in most other Oakton courses offered through our partnership is reserved for high school juniors and seniors; freshmen and sophomores may enroll in designated career-technical courses in the following academic areas:

• Automotive Technology (ATA)
• Accounting (ACC)
• Computer Aided Design (CAD)
• Computer Networking Systems (CNS)
• Early Childhood Education (ECE)
• Electronics and Computer Technology (ELT)
• Photography (ART)
• Management (MGT)
• Manufacturing (MFG)

6. Student access to textbooks and other required instructional materials will be determined on a course-by-course basis.

To register for dual credit for courses offered through our partnership, students must successfully:

(1) Submit the Oakton dual credit application
(2) Meet applicable placement requirements within the appropriate timeline
(3) Register for their courses in myOakton

Application

As an early college partner, you should advise students of the following information about the Oakton dual credit application:

• They need only apply once as a dual credit student.
• They should expect a welcome letter at the email address they entered on the application within 2-3 days after successful application submission; errors will delay application processing.
• They must follow instructions provided in their welcome letter to access their myOakton student account.
• A one time $25 application fee will be added to the students' record and billed to the high school.

Note: The Early College Office will email district designees an early college admission report (ECAR) weekly during the established admission and enrollment window for each term.

Placement

Oakton uses a variety of methods (commonly called multiple measures) for determining student eligibility for courses offered through our early college partnerships. Placement for dual credit courses is managed at the high schools in conjunction with established criteria determined by Oakton Chairs.

Registration

Registration for dual credit courses is done in the myOakton student portal. Instruction sets are updated annually and made available to high school partners/students each term.

• Class lists will be sent to the identified high school dual credit liaison weekly during the established admission/enrollment window for the semester.
• In addition, high school dual credit faculty can access class rosters via the Faculty Services Area in myOakton. Rosters update in real-time.

Late Admit Rosters

Late admit registration is approved by Oakton on a case-by-case basis. Late admit registration instructions will be provided to high school dual credit liaisons at the end of the registration window for each semester.

Drops/Withdrawals

It is the responsibility of the high school to notify the College when a student is withdrawing from class(es). This request must officially be in writing. High school personnel wishing to initiate the withdrawal process must complete a Dual Credit Withdrawal Form for each student. Completed forms should be sent to dualcredit@oakton.edu.

Drop/withdrawal deadlines for each term can be found here.

Late Admit (special circumstance)

The College Understands there may be extenuating circumstances in which a student may need to be registered for a dual credit course after the registration deadline for the semester. It is the responsibility of the high school to notify the College as soon as possible when a student is in need of late admit registration. Requests for late admit can be sent to dualcredit@oakton.edu Late registration is not guaranteed and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the Oakton Registrar.

Late Withdrawals

To protect the academic record of students, Oakton has established a process for dual credit students who are seeking a withdrawal that is after the identified drop/withdrawal dates for that term. Requests for late withdrawals can be sent to dualcredit@oakton.edu. Late withdrawal is not guaranteed and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the Oakton Registrar.

The requirements and approval process for a high school faculty member to teach a dual credit course is consistent with the standards set forth by the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) and the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). Secondary instructor qualifications will be reviewed by the appropriate division dean and department chairperson who may request a face-to-face interview. Notice of approval or denial will be sent to the applicant and appropriate high school administrator.

Instructors will undergo a one time orientation before the start of their first dual credit course to learn their responsibilities. This includes, but is not limited to: submitting course syllabi, assisting students with application/registration as needed, and navigating myOakton to verify Oakton class lists and enter midterm and final grades.

• Check Oakton emails daily and respond, when appropriate, to those emails in a timely fashion.
• Prepare and submit syllabi for courses taught that are consistent with the requirements of Oakton's generic syllabi.
• Help students navigate and complete the online Oakton application form and registration process. Full instruction sets and high school course schedules can be found in the Partner Hub.
• Provide students enrolled in dual credit courses with the Oakton generic course syllabus in addition to the high school syllabus, course outline or other relevant documents.
• Respond to requests to complete roster verification and midterm/final grade entry by established deadlines for each term.
• Integrate and evaluate student learning outcomes within the framework of the Oakton Program for Assessment and Learning (OPAL) and report assessment data per college protocols.
• Inform and encourage students to use Oakton resources.

NACEP believes that strong collaborations between high school teachers and college faculty enhance the instruction for both parties, increase the understanding of what types of teaching and learning are happening in each setting, and assist students in their transition from high school to college. As such, Oakton faculty liaisons and high school dual credit faculty are encouraged to work jointly by sharing methods, ideas, and experiences. Oakton faculty are encouraged to participate as guest lecturers in the high school classrooms and/or collaborate on team-teaching opportunities at both the college and high schools, and dual credit faculty and students are encouraged to visit an Oakton campus. Requests for campus visits can be made with the Office of Recruitment and Outreach or with the appropriate division.

 

Professional Development Guidelines

• Professional development and teacher participation must be documented each year.
• Dual credit faculty must participate in college-sponsored, annual professional development each year.
• The professional development can happen at any time but should be completed by the end of each academic year.
• The professional development can be offered in any format (webinar, online discussion forum, Zoom presentation, face-to-face session, etc.). It is recommended that online presentations be recorded for those teachers who cannot attend.
• The professional development can be offered to individuals or to groups of teachers as schedules and needs dictate.
• The professional development can cover any topic that is meaningful, interactive and addresses discipline content, delivery, assessment, or research.
• The professional development should be annual and collegial.
• Alternate professional development activities may be used as long as they are approved by the division.

In accordance with the Illinois Dual Credit Quality Act (DCQA) and in alignment with the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and National Alliance for Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP) accreditation standards, all dual credit courses offered in District high schools are subject to review by the college.

A dual credit course must comply, at a minimum, with the Oakton generic syllabus for that course. The high school may add additional contact hours to meet high school requirements for awarding Carnegie units or complying with school attendance policies. High school instructors will provide students with the Oakton generic course syllabus in addition to high school course outlines and related materials.

In order to review the delivery of dual credit courses to ensure consistency with courses offered on campus, Oakton has established the following guidelines and procedures:

• High school course syllabi must be submitted by the secondary instructor to the appropriate academic department for approval prior to the start of each term the course is offered (2nd Friday in August for fall and yearlong term courses; 2nd Friday in December for spring term courses).
• A desk review and site visit will be conducted by the academic department during the first offering of the course.
• Provided the course review is satisfactory, the academic department will conduct ongoing reviews at least once every five years. The College may elect to conduct additional reviews in case deficiencies are noted.
• A copy of the review will be delivered to the secondary instructor and appropriate secondary administrator and placed on file at Oakton.
• Should Oakton find a course to be non-compliant with the College’s expectations, formal notice, with a deadline for remediation if appropriate, shall be provided by the Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs and College Transitions to the appropriate secondary administrator. If remediation is not appropriate, or if the remediation deadline is not met satisfactorily, the Assistant Vice President shall inform the secondary school of the termination of the partnership for the course as currently delivered.

Academic Records

Oakton uses a grading system in which students are assigned a letter grade of A, B, C, D or F reflecting the student’s performance in a course. The student’s high school grade for the course will be reported on the high school report card. The college grade will be recorded on the student’s official Oakton College transcript upon course completion. Dual credit faculty are expected to submit final grades electronically via myOakton one week after course completion at the high school.

Future College Implications

Failing grades and withdrawals from college courses can restrict eligibility for future college admissions, scholarships, and financial aid.

Early College Office (ECO)
Des Plaines
Room 2500
847.635.1661
earlycollege@oakton.edu

Admission
Des Plaines
847.635.1700
Room 1740
admission@oakton.edu

Skokie
Room A100
847.635.1700
admission@oakton.edu

Enrollment Center
Des Plaines
Room 1860
847.635.1700
enrollmentcenter@oakton.edu

Skokie
Room A100
847.635.1700
enrollmentcenter@oakton.edu

Division of Business and Career Technologies
Skokie
Room B206
847.635.1910
bctdivision@oakton.edu

Division of Health Careers
Des Plaines
Room 100 Lee Center
847.635.1685
healthcareers@oakton.edu

Division of Liberal Arts
Des Plaines
Room 2180
847.635.1950
liberalarts@oakton.edu

Division of STEM
Des Plaines
Room 100 Lee Center
847.635.1690
stem@oakton.edu

Oakton IT Help Desk
Des Plaines
Room 1710
847.635.1965
helpdesk@oakton.edu