Graduation Guidelines - Concurrent Enrollment

What is Concurrent Enrollment?

Concurrent Enrollment (CE) provides high school students with the opportunity to enroll in postsecondary (or college-level) courses and earn credit in high school and college, at no cost to them for tuition. Depending on availability, students may take concurrent enrollment classes in their high school, on a college campus or online. Concurrent Enrollment also includes postsecondary Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses, enabling student to earn credit that can be applied toward a technical certificate or degree.

Students in 12^th grade may concurrently enroll in developmental courses (only in the 12^th grade). These courses are designed to help students successfully complete developmental education prior to college enrollment. This helps ensure students are able to immediately enter college-level, credit-bearing courses and continue on their way to earning a postsecondary credential once they have graduated high school.

Please find more information about Concurrent Enrollment on the new student and parent Concurrent Enrollment website.

Watch a video about a distance learning partnership between Lamar Community College and Southeastern BOCES.

The ASCENT program (Accelerating Students through Concurrent Enrollment) is a fifth year concurrent enrollment program which allows students to participate in Concurrent Enrollment the year directly following the student’s 12^th grade year. Students who are eligible to participate in ASCENT must have completed twelve postsecondary credit hours prior to the completion of the twelfth-grade year, and cannot be in need of basic skills coursework in their selected pathway. ASCENT students must also be selected for participation by the principal and accepted into a postsecondary degree program.

Why This Option

Concurrent Enrollment offers a unique opportunity for aligning high school and postsecondary courses and is widely available in Colorado. 94% of districts and 80% of high schools offer Concurrent Enrollment programs, and 89% of all students pass all Concurrent Enrollment courses in which they are enrolled.

Additionally 78% of all participating students enroll in college in the fall immediately following graduation. In their first year of college, compared to their peers who don’t participate, these students earn higher GPA’s and accumulate more credits.

Implementation Strategies and Promising Practices

Districts and LEPs have the authority to decide which Concurrent Enrollment courses count for Reading, Writing, and Communicating, and which courses count for Mathematics.

For example, find lists of eligible courses from DPS, and from School District 27J
Consider including CTE courses for mastery, like Fire Science, Welding, Diesel, and Culinary Programs
In order to accommodate for English Learners, consider world language courses

Take a look at Concurrent Enrollment promising practices

Windsor High School

Student/Parent Communication

Northeastern Junior College

Differences between High School and College

Westminster Public Schools

District 49

Complete a review of the concurrent enrollment programs that are currently available in your school(s), and consider ways in which they might increase access to and quality of these courses.

Read about guidelines, policies, and resources on the CDE Concurrent Enrollment website:

Consider ways in which staff might qualify to teach concurrent enrollment courses on the high school site, increasing access and exposure to these courses
Partner with an Institution of Higher Education and/or a Community College

Connect concurrent enrollment to work-based learning:

PTech (Pathways in Technology Early College) High Schools
Professional and Internship Community Experience in Canon City High Schools
The Mill (Peyton and Widefield School Districts)
Career and Technical Education (CTE) best practices