2020-03: Changes to Comply with SB554 - Special Admit Adult

Hello Folks,

During a meeting last week, a question came up regarding dual enrollment students utilizing DSPS services.  Currently, the DSPS department has students enroll in a non-degree applicable course (EA-907), which allows the student to schedule meetings in the DSPS office throughout the semester to complete learning disability testing.

Current policy does not allow dual enrollment students to enroll in non-degree applicable, or non-college level courses.  Since the EA-907 course is not degree-applicable, my first thought is we shouldn’t allow dual enrollment students to enroll.  However, this course is used as a means of providing DSPS services to students.  Education code 48800 states the “school district may determine which pupils would benefit from advanced scholastic or vocational work.”  The term “advanced scholastic” is what concerns me as the non-degree applicable course would not fit into this category.  That being said, can students who are enrolled with DSPS, and who are dual enrollment, enroll in a non-degree applicable course if the course is used to assess DSPS needs?

Hi Larry,

This is an interesting question.  We allow high school students to take non credit classes (there’s ed code that supports this but I can’t lay my hands on it at the moment).  We do NOT allow high school students to take non transferable credit courses based on ed code.  And our AEC (Accessible Education Center aka DSPS) does not allow high school students to participate in AEC classes because the thought is that they are receiving services/learning evaluation from their primary high school.  AEC would help the high school students receive accommodations in any college classes they were taking, based on the IEP from the student’s High school.  The premise of college classes not “supplanting” what is available to high school students through their high schools is the guiding force for us.

Candice Whitney, M.Ed., M.A.

Registrar/Director of Admissions & Records

Candice Et Al,

Thank you all for the feedback.  Linda Vann from the CCCO replied directly to me with some of the same information regarding the students receiving those services at the high school.  Below is a copy of what I sent to her in my response, which may muddy the waters, but also help clarify my question.

Let me muddy the waters a little more by altering the scenario.  New legislation allows students attending an Adult School enrolled in a program leading toward a high school diploma or certificate of proficiency, to enroll in courses at the college as a dual enrollment student.  Thus, these students would not be charged enrollment or non-resident fees, which is a big deal since a lot of our adult learners may be undocumented.  This is actually where the question came from.  Can an adult learner, who is attending courses as a dual enrollment student, enroll in a non-degree applicable course if it is used for LD testing? 

In this scenario, the student may not have testing options at the high school because they are not enrolled in a high school, and as such, may not have an IEP or 504 plan.  However, since they are admitted to the college as a dual enrolled student, they must abide by all requirements of the dual enrollment program.  This is why I posed the question a little more generic because it could be an issue for high school students, but the original scenario that prompted the question was regarding adult learners attending an adult school as dual enrollment.

Now that I’ve muddied the waters a bit more, do you have any thoughts or suggestions?