High School Programs

Advising

The College offers academic advising to all students enrolled at JSCC. To schedule a Dual Enrollment/Accelerated advising meeting, please e-mail a request to dualenrollment@jeffersonstate.edu

Appeals

Students who feel that a college policy has been applied unfairly to their situation have the right to appeal. Student complaints/appeals may include but are not limited to the following: Financial Aid Awards or Loss of Aid, Traffic Citations and Fines, Business Office Receivables, Student Refunds, Suspensions, Audit to Credit/Credit to Audit Registrations, Returned Checks. Students must complete a Complaint/Appeal form which can be found by searching “Forms” through www.jeffersonstate.edu. For more information on Appeals, please see page 268 in the student handbook.

Suspension Policy

Students who withdraw or make below a “C” in any of their dual enrollment classes are subject to a 1 term suspension, not including a summer term. Students may resume dual enrollment classes after following their 1 term suspension but they must reapply.

Calendar

The annual academic calendar in the Catalog applies to all students including dual enrollment students. The term calendar also appears on the class schedule, along with the final examination schedule. Students are responsible for noting such relevant dates as holidays and the last day to withdraw without penalty.

Important:  Dual Enrollment students should allow time before registration day for consulting high school officials, completing all paperwork including securing signatures on the Signature Page, and making financial and other arrangements to attend. High schools may establish deadlines for interested students to begin the process.

Registration

Dual Enrollment/Accelerated students are not permitted to register themselves. Students will be registered via the Dual Enrollment personnel once registration opens and all their application documents have been received. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Schedule Changes

Schedule changes may only take place during the add/drop period. To add or change classes, students must submit a new Signature Page signed by their high school counselor. To drop a course, the student must notify the Dual Enrollment Department in writing. Permission from your high school counselor may also be required.

Grading System

Jefferson State Community College’s grading system as outlined in the Catalog (page 51) applied to all students. In every credit course, the instructor awards a letter grade of A, B, C, D, F, I, or W. Students may access their grade reports by logging into their Blackboard account. The Dual Enrollment office will report the letter grade to the student’s high school counselor for all dual enrollment students. All grades are subject to Public Law 93-380, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. In no case will grades be divulged via telephone or fax.

Grading Policy

Any student who earns a D, F, I or W during a semester will be ineligible to continue in Dual Enrollment. The student will be suspended for 1 semester, not including a summer term. Grades are considered final once they have been officially posted. JSCC does not require the reporting of numeric grades. Should a student or counselor require numeric grades, they must contact the instructor directly.

Course Evaluations

Jefferson State Community College follows an ongoing procedure to evaluate instruction in all its classes. Local school systems will devise their own methods of evaluating JSCC courses for which they award high school credit.

Transfer of Dual Enrollment Courses

• Transfer of college credit between public colleges and universities of the State of Alabama is facilitated by a transfer agreement known as the STARS guide.
• Courses taken for dual enrollment will count just as any other college credit and will remain part of the student’s permanent record. Students should print their STARS agreement when they begin dual enrollment courses.
• Some courses may not be accepted within all program majors.
• The dual enrollment student is advised to work carefully with high school counselors and JSCC advisors when deciding upon a major, a transfer institution, and relevant courses.
• Transcripts released for students who have not yet fulfilled the general admission requirements for a course creditable toward an associate degree will be stamped “Credit Conditional Upon Receipt of Final High School Transcript” (See Admission Status and Granting College Credit section)

Credit and Transcripts

• Each high school determines the high school credits that will be awarded and JSCC will determine the college credits to be awarded for any dual enrollment coursework.
• 3 credit hours at the post-secondary level are equivalent to 1 credit at the High School level.
• Grades are posted to the college transcript in letter form (A, B, C, D, F) as submitted by the instructors.
• The college transcript will also show total hours attempted, hours earned, and grade point average (GPA) on a 4.0 scale.
• College transcripts are permanent records of Jefferson State Community College.
• No college transcript is issued to any person or institution without the signed consent of the student as required by Public Law 93-380. College transcripts may be obtained from the Record’s Office by completing a transcript request form under the “Forms” section at www.jeffersonstate.edu.
• College Transcripts are not faxed.
• High school records of dual enrollments courses are subject to the policies of the high school.
• Students who do not submit their final high school transcript to Jefferson State Community College following their high school graduation may not receive an official transcript from JSCC.
• The student will have a Dual Enrollment Hold placed on their account until we receive the final high school transcript. Once received, we will remove the hold and the student may submit a transcript request.
• To obtain an unofficial transcript, students must submit a transcript request form to the Records Office, identify themselves as dual enrollment students, and indicate that they need an unofficial transcript sent to the institutions of their choosing.

Faculty Credentials

Faculty members teaching college-credit courses at Jefferson State Community College must meet or exceed the minimum level of education for college instructors specified by the Southern Association of Colleges and Commissions on Colleges. According to the SACS guidelines for faculty credentials, the faculty teaching general education courses at the undergraduate level require a doctorate or master's degree in the teaching discipline or a master's degree with a concentration in the teaching discipline (a minimum of 18 graduate semester hours in the teaching discipline).For more information, visit www.sacscoc.org Comprehensive Standard 3.7.1 of Principles of Accreditation

Jefferson State Community College will require the submission of official transcripts to be reviewed by the Department Chair in the respective academic discipline.

Student Disability Services Notice

• Dually enrolled students in need of accommodations for disabilities must follow the college policy.
• Assistance is available for activities including but not limited to, applying for admission, registering, and participating in classes and college activities.
• Students in need of accommodation should contact the ADA Accommodations Office.

Privacy of Student Records

In compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, commonly known as the Buckley Amendment, Jefferson State Community College will not release information concerning its students except for directory information and as stipulated in paragraph 3 below.

Directory information will be released to anyone who asks for it, unless the student specifies in writing to the Admissions Office that this information is to be withheld. In such cases, directory information will not be released. Directory information is defined as follows:

• Name
• Address
• Telephone listing
• College e-mail address
• Date and place of birth
• Major field of study
• Dates of attendance
• Grade level (i.e. Freshman, Sophomore…)
• Enrollment status (i.e. undergraduate, full-time or part-time)
• Participation in officially recognized activities
• Photograph
• Degrees, honors, and awards received
• Most recent educational institution attended

A student over the age of 18 is considered an “eligible student” within the definition of the law and controls who has access to his or her records.

A parent of an eligible student does not automatically have access to the student’s records. In order for a parent to have access to a student’s records, beyond directory information and without written permission from the student, a parent must certify that the student is economically depended as defined by Section 152 of the International Revenue Code of 1954.

If a parent can prove dependency by showing a copy of the parent’s current tax report form or another acceptable report of current dependency to the Dean of Student Services, the parent may have total access to the student’s file.

Jefferson State Community College will release a student’s educational records without his or her approval only as follows:

• Jefferson State Community College officials who have legitimate educational interest in the records
• To officials of another college or university in which a student seeks to enroll
• To certain federal and state educational authorities for purposes of enforcing legal requirements in federally supported educational programs
• To persons involved in granting financial aid for which the student has applied
• To state and local authorities to whom information is required to be disclosed under the provisions of a statute adopted prior to November 1974
• To testing, research, and accrediting organizations
• In compliance with a court order or lawfully issued subpoena
• In very narrowly defined emergencies affecting the health and safety of the student or other persons
• To parents of eligible students under the provision of paragraph 2 above. For further information, visit the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act website.

Release of Transcripts

In compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, Jefferson State Community College does not release transcripts of a student’s grades except upon the student’s written request. A student, or former student, who needs a transcript from JSCC should complete a transcript request form, and indicated the name of the institution or person whom the record should be sent. Student should be sure to state all names which may have been entered on their college records. A student may secure an unofficial transcript for personal use but official transcripts are sent only to other colleges or organizations for reference purposes. Transcripts are not issued to students who have failed in some way to complete their application procedures, registration or obligations to the Community College.

• Students are responsible for reading, understanding and following Jefferson State Community College campus policies outlined in the General Information Section of the College Catalog and Student Handbook.
• The campus policies include the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Harassment, Complaint Resolution, Procedures for Reporting Complaints, and Family Educational Rights Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA).
• Student Handbook:  Students are also responsible for reading, understanding and following the Student Handbook located in the last section of the College Catalog and Student Handbook.