Concurrent Enrollment During the COVID-19 Pandemic

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• Concurrent Enrollment
• Higher Education Admissions

Q1: How will institutions of higher education support students who are taking concurrent enrollment for credit?

A: Local Education Providers (LEPs) should work with their higher education partners to determine how the institution plans to offer courses remotely or in-person.

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Q2: Can a local Education Provider (LEP) give a grade and credit for a concurrent enrollment course for which the student received a grade of Incomplete (I) and no credit from the institution of higher education (IHE)?

A: Yes. This is a local decision that an LEP can choose to make. However, because the student received an incomplete from the IHE, the student will not receive college credit for the course until the remaining coursework is completed. And, if the coursework is not completed, the grade may revert to an F or No Credit. The student should work with their Concurrent Enrollment instructor to determine what coursework they will need to complete to earn college credit.

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Q3: What Career and Technical Education (CTE) classes will continue for high school and concurrent enrollment? And how will credit be awarded?

A: LEPs should check with their higher education partners to determine all course offerings, including CTE classes. See coloradostateplan.com to consult with the Colorado Community College System (CCCS) who oversees CTE in Colorado at both the high school and postsecondary levels.

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Q4: Are there any courses that allow for in-person instruction?

A: Institutions will put the safety of students and staff first when making plans for location of course delivery. While the ideal is to offer courses in-person in most cases, institutions have prepared to offer courses remotely in ways that will provide high-quality instruction.

Courses with academic outcomes that cannot be measured or achieved virtually, such as performance, laboratory and clinical experiences will be prioritized to be offered in-person. For all other courses, institutions are making decisions for method of delivery on a case-by-case basis by following national, state and local guidance.

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Q5: How will colleges and universities support students who were unable to take a college entrance exam (e.g. SAT & ACT) due to the pandemic?

A: Last spring, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, SAT and ACT exams were canceled across the country, including for Colorado's high school juniors. To address this issue, the General Assembly passed legislation that temporarily allows Colorado public institutions of higher education to determine whether to require national assessment test scores for admission for first-time freshman students who graduate from high school in 2021 – all public institutions in Colorado, as a result, are "test optional" for the 2021 graduating class. This means that the high school graduating class of 2021 have the option to submit SAT and/or ACT scores with their college applications. Applicants who choose not to submit a test score for admission will not be negatively impacted because institutions will be able to make informed decisions without the exams. As of March 2021, HB21-1067 is being considered to make test optional permanent for Colorado public colleges and universities. If the pandemic impacts SAT test taking spring of 2021, legislators will likely consider extending the test score waiver to the class of 2022 as well if HB21-1067 does not pass.

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Q6: Will the SAT tests that were canceled for spring 2020 be rescheduled?

A: School districts and charter schools had the opportunity this fall to offer their 12th grade students the SAT at no cost to the student. The assessments were administered during the school day on the following dates.

In-school test dates:

• September 23, 2020
• October 14, 2020
• October 27, 2020

In addition, students had the opportunity to take the SAT on one of five available Saturday administration dates at state expense if they attended a public school that had not chosen to participate in a school day administration.

Weekend test dates:

• August 29, 2020
• September 26, 2020
• October 3, 2020
• November 7, 2020
• December 5, 2020

The CO SAT for 11^th grade students is scheduled on April 13, 2021 with two make-up tests offered on April 27, 2021 and May 18, 2021. Find more information on the Colorado SAT School Day Tests here.

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Q7: Is it true that high schools will no longer include SAT scores on high school transcripts?

A: Yes. Due to legislation that passed in the 2020 session, high schools are no longer permitted to include student test scores (SAT or ACT) on the transcript. As a result, if you are applying for admission and wish your test scores to be considered as part of the admission process, be sure to request that your scores are sent to the colleges/universities you are interested in when signing up to take the SAT or ACT.

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Q8: Will pass/fail (P/F) and satisfactory/unsatisfactory (S/U) grades count towards the 12 required college credits to qualify for the ASCENT program?

A: Yes, if the student receives a P or S it will count as college credit earned.

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